A UNIVERSITY professor is set to deliver a guided tour of the ancient Roman town of Silchester in a trio of talks.
From this week Reading Museum will host the presentations exploring the history of the lost Hampshire settlement.
Professor Michael Fulford, Director of the Silchester Town Life Project, will provide a window into the origins of the town, life in Silchester, and its eventual abandonment.
Two millennia ago, Silchester, just south of Reading near the Hampshire and Berkshire border, was a hub of trade to the Roman world and a capital for the French tribe that controlled the area.
The Romans arrived in the mid-1st Century CE and the town was eventually abandoned around 400 CE.
Because it was never built over a “uniquely preserved” settlement has been left, “primed” for investigation.
Excavation of the site by a University of Reading archaeological team got underway in 1974.
Professor Fulford said: “I have spent five decades excavating Silchester with a brilliant team of archaeologists from the University of Reading.
“We have discovered many secrets from Silchester, revealing the town to be a place steeped in history.
“It is very exciting to be able to share the latest results of this research with Reading residents about what life was like 2,000 years ago in a town so close to home.”
The first of Professor Fulford’s talks takes place at Reading Museum on Saturday, March 15, followed by events on Saturday, April 12, and Saturday, May 10.
All talks start at 11am and are hosted at Victoria Hall, Reading Museum.
All funds from ticket sales will go to the redevelopment of the Silchester Roman Gallery.
While the first two talks have now sold out, tickets and information for the third are available via: readingmuseum.org.uk/talk-3-silchester-end-roman-city
Tickets for the first two talks are now sold out, but limited tickets for the third talk are still available. Book: Talk 3: Silchester: The End of the Roman City
