NORTH STAFFS BRANCH OF THE CLASSICAL ASSOCIATION

Annual Report for 2015/16

As the Treasurer reported elsewhere, our balance has risen during the year thanks to increased membership. Much of this increase, as we discussed at the last AGM, came from announcements at lectures, and some lower costs also contributed. We now have 67 paying members, all at the full £5, (13 more than last year.) We were also successful this year in maintaining the higher attendances reported last year, and in continuing to attract engaging and interesting speakers.

In the Autumn we opened in late October with a joint lecture at St Wulstan’s by Roz Bell and her husband Tim Parkin (Manchester) on Discovering the Private Life of the Romans. This was followed by an introductory Lecture on the Aeneid by Ken Dowden (Birmingham) at Keele and a reading of Book II at a member’s house, which proved entirely possible in the span of an evening, despite concerns expressed at the AGM.

We resumed in February with a reading of Seneca’s Medea, at our Chairman’s house. Clemence Schultze (Durham) then lectured on Greek Clothing: Reality & Reconstruction at Keele (Hellenic Society joint meeting.) David Mattingly (Leicester) spoke in March on Green Gold: the Olive in the Roman World, in our third visit to Keele, for the Roman Society joint meeting. Our reading of Euripides’ Ion was also at Keele (the best attendance for a reading for some years).

We are grateful to the school and to Keele SCR for free use of the rooms for these meetings.

Our annual trip, in May, this time by train rather than coach, was as usual open to other bodies and was to Chester. The trip because no coach hire was involved, was of course at no cost to the Branch. Numbers were higher than we anticipated, at normal coach levels, but regretfully there are few if any opportunities for other train trips. The lack of a coach also restricts our choice of evening meal venue, for many a key part of the day. We are grateful as ever to Andy Fear for leading us round both the sites in the city and the Grosvenor Museum.

The Latin and Greek reading groups have continued successfully to run approximately monthly throughout the year, independently of the core programme, and a Beginners Latin Group has also been started, thanks to Nigel Coulton.

LECTURE: Dr Roslynne Bell and Professor Tim Parkin (University of Manchester)

LECTURE: Professor Ken Dowden (University of Birmingham)

READING: (in English translation) of Aeneid Book II

Texts will be available, but please bring the Penguin Classics translation, if you are able.

PLAY READING: (in English translation) of Seneca: Medea

       The Roman Theatre at Orange.

Copies of the text will be available.

LECTURE: Dr Clemence Schultze (University of Durham)

LECTURE: Professor David Mattingly (University of Leicester)

PLAY READING: (in English translation) of Euripides' Ion

Copies will be available, but please bring the Penguin Classics edition, if you are able.

CHESTER TRIP

Chester Roman Remains & Grosvenor Museum, led by Dr Andy Fear. Those joining this trip can either join a group leaving Crewe Station about 10 a.m. (return fare just over £12) or travel independently and meet us, near St John the Baptist Church beside the Amphitheatre in Chester, soon after 11 a.m. (Further details will be given to everyone making a booking.)

       Roman Amphitheatre. River Dee

The booking form can be downloaded here.

Annual General Meeting

Latin and Greek Reading Groups 2015/16

Last year's programme and Annual Report

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