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Public lecture digs deep at Silchester Roman Town – University of Reading

Silchester Roman Town and the findings of the University of Reading's epic dig will be the subject of the next public lecture. In the next thought-provoking lecture – the third in the series - the project's director, Professor Michael Fulford will highlight the fascinating key results of the excavation of the Roman town of Calleva Atrebatum (Silchester), where the University has been working since 1997. Professor Fulford, from the School of Human and Environmental Sciences, said: "The dig is revealing a town that changed radically over time, with a major reorganisation during the third century, and abandonment in the fifth-sixth century. The research provides a fascinating portrait of the changing life, occupations and values of the inhabitants." As always the lectures are free and open to everyone. They will feature some of the University's top academics talking about a diverse range of fascinating subjects in a manner that is easily understood by all. Each one lasts for approximately 40 minutes and afterwards time is allowed so the audience may comment and ask questions, giving a real chance for people to get involved and make the most of their evening. The night seldom ends without some lively debate! Alison Fabian, organiser of the lectures, said: "This is our third lecture and we are expecting it to be very popular, as it is such a fascinating local subject. The series is proving very popular, as usual, with our dietary fats lecture virtually a sell out, with some 400 people attending. People want to hear what experts think on subjects, and being able to provide that is a great privilege. "What makes our lectures so unique and popular is the quality of speaker, their ability to engage the audience and of course some wonderfully varied topics. They offer a unique opportunity to learn about the research, teaching and people that make the University a world-class institute." Professor Fulford is Professor of Archaeology specialising in the archaeology of the Roman world, with particular emphasis on urbanism, but also economy and technology. He was elected Fellow of the British Academy in 1994. In addition to his long-running research at Silchester he is working on a project concerned with the urban development of Pompeii. This autumn will see the publication of the first volume of the Silchester Town Life Project, Life and Labour in Late Roman Silchester, as well as a rural study, Iron Age and Roman Settlement and Landscape of Salisbury Plain. The lecture will be chaired by Dudley Fishburn, a director of HSBC Bank. He has been a member of Harvard University's Board of Overseers and is currently Chairman of Harvard's Library. He was Chairman of the Open University's Foundation and Treasurer of the National Trust for six years. Dudley has been Executive Editor of The Economist and Member of Parliament for Kensington. The full schedule, from now on, for the University of Reading Public Lecture Series 2006-2007 is: Tuesday 28 November 2006 - Silchester Roman town - celebrating the first ten years Professor Michael Fulford, School of Human and Environmental Sciences Tuesday 23 January 2007 - Glaciers and climate change - the view from space Dr Chris Stokes, Department of Geography Tuesday 20 February 2007 - Early words - What do they tell us? Dr Graham Schafer, School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences Tuesday 6 March 2007 - Living under "totalitarianism" - the Italians and the Mussolini dictatorship Professor Richard Bosworth, School of Humanities All of the University Public Lectures start at 8pm and will be held in the Palmer Building on the University's Whiteknights campus. Lectures are free to attend and no ticket is required. For further information, please visit the public lecture series website or contact Alison Fabian in the University's Communications Office on (tel) 0118 378 7110 or (email) a.m.fabian@reading.ac.uk Ends For media enquiries only, please contact Lucy Ferguson, the University's senior press officer on: (Tel) 0118 378 7388 (Email) L.Ferguson@reading.ac.uk Notes to Editors: The University of Reading is one of the foremost research-led universities in the UK. Founded in the nineteenth century and gaining a Royal Charter in 1926, we offer a wide range of programmes from the pure and applied sciences to languages, social sciences and fine art. New research and the latest thinking continually feed into undergraduate teaching, with our academic staff working at the forefront of their fields of expertise. For further information visit the University of Reading website visit the University of Reading website