This year's  Pubic Lecture will be given by Ian Haynes, Professor of Archaeology at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, and will be his inaugural public lecture. The title will be Blood of the Provinces: The Roman Auxilia and the creation of imperial society

Professor Haynes' work examines the extent to which the Roman Empire can be defined archaeologically. This involves investigating the ways the imperial system helped generate new regional cultures and, in turn, the way in which these cultures helped define the face of the imperial system. He examines these dynamics through the archaeology of cult, the army and systems of communication and exchange.

He is currently British Director of the tri-national Apulum Project. This AHRB funded project involves the excavation of a sanctuary to Liber Pater in the Roman city of Colonia Aurelia Apulensis in Transylvania, Romania. He is also directing field survey projects within central and eastern Europe, including the Apulum Hinterland Project and the Salsovia Project. In 2003 he launched an international research project entitled 'Favissae: a study of votive deposition in the Roman Empire'.

Please note venue: The Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, University of Newcastle