Some of the most important and poignant questions about Hadrian’s Wall are being explored in a three-part talk series.
Hosted at Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery and online, the talks will form part of the 1900th-anniversary celebrations of the building of the historic wall.
The talks include discussions about the meaning and importance of Hadrian’s Wall both in antiquity, and how it can inspire reflection about the world around us today.
The first series explores what it means to be a UNESCO world heritage site, with particular focus on UNESCO’s aim for promoting global peace through heritage. The identity, migration, and movement of people, alongside the physical impact of frontiers, is explored in the second and third talks of the series.
“Frontier Perspectives is a fascinating series of talks exploring issues of empire, identity and heritage related to Hadrian’s Wall and its 1900th-anniversary,” says Nigel Mills, a Heritage Consultant and co-organiser of the talks programme.
“These talks by acknowledged experts in their fields are intended for people with little prior knowledge of the Romans or Hadrian’s Wall, but with an interest in discovering new ways of thinking about the past and how some of these issues resonate down the centuries since the wall was built.”
Audience members will be able to hear from world-class experts including Her Excellency, Claudia Reinprecht, Austrian Ambassador to UNESCO and the UNESCO chair for Cultural Property Protection & Peace, Peter Stone. Scholars from leading universities such as Durham, Newcastle and Reading will be exploring the latest cutting-edge ideas in an accessible way, welcoming everyone to participate in these inspiring conversations.
The talk series is not exclusively for Roman specialists and welcomes newcomers to the heritage of Hadrian’s Wall.
Audience members can participate both in-person and online, with special discounts available for members of Tullie House Museum and the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society (CWAAS).
This talk series perfectly complements Tullie House’s current exhibitions: To the Edges of Empire and Uncovering Roman Carlisle, running concurrently until June 11.
Saturday, March 19: Hadrian’s Wall and UNESCO values
World Heritage status and UNESCO’s mission to promote peace, toleration and understanding amongst the peoples of the world. The aspiration to include all nations through which the frontiers once ran, protection of World Heritage in conflict zones and the relevance of Roman frontiers for the modern world.
Saturday, May 7: Migration and forced movement – shaping identities
These talks explore the mobility of people – both voluntary and forced – in the Roman world and the implications for personal and collective identity. Who are you? Where have you come from? Where do you belong? Who do you belong to?
Saturday, May 28: The impact of Roman Frontiers on people and places
These talks explore the impact of the Roman occupation on the frontier provinces, especially Britain and the Netherlands, and the shaping of identities in such areas.
Tickets: £15 for each session (£10 for Tullie House members and members of CWAAS), or £30 for all 3 sessions (£20 for Tullie House members). Sessions will be live-streamed. Livestream tickets are £8 per session.
