Bedales Classicists enjoy Prof Michael Fulford lecture on the Iron Age

By Elliott Hills (6.2 student)

A group of avid Bedales Classicists made their way up to the far reaches of the Orchard Building to meet Professor Michael Fulford of Reading University and hear him give a lecture on the Iron Age settlement of Calleva, modern day Silchester. This was a particularly apt talk, in light of the Roman Britain module studied in 6.2, more so as we now begin our exploration and case studies of important Roman towns around Britain, Silchester being one of them. Despite this particular relevance, Classics enthusiasts from all Blocks (year groups) were present which was great to see, particularly a number of Block Threes (year 9).

What was excellent about the talk, particularly for me and my fellow 6.2 students, was the feeling that what we had been learning about was not just ‘ancient history’, catalogued and packaged only for the use of educational establishments, but was actually our Roman past. What is more our understanding of this past is still developing and the man that was standing before us was at the very forefront of this work. Although Victorian excavators had worked the same sight, Prof. Fulford and his team realised that the Victorians had only scratched the surface whereas, the ongoing excavations are going deeper, both physically and in terms of understanding, further tracing our past back to the very beginnings of first non – nomadic ancestral settlers.

This really was an excellent meeting for Bedales Classics Society particularly as it was not only riveting but also gave us all an opportunity to get to grips with the course in a way that no one else will, unless they too receive the expert knowledge of Professor Michael Fulford.