JRPS Volume 12 and recall of JRPS Volume 11

Members will be aware that Oxbow recently distributed copies of last year’s JRPS Volume 11, rather than this year’s Volume 12. Oxbow will be sending copies of Volume 12 to all members (at the end of this week we believe) and would be grateful if copies of Volume 11 could be returned. John Hudson, Managing Director of Oxbow Books provided the following statement:

"Oxbow Books apologise to members of the Study Group for Romano-British Pottery for the mistake in sending out copies of Vol. 11 of the Journal of Roman Pottery Studies instead of Vol. 12 which should have been circulated, and for the inconvenience caused.

We would like to thank those members who have already returned to us the copies of Vol. 11, and request that those of you who have yet to do so send us the incorrect volume in its original packaging, or the packaging of volume 12 when received. Included in that package will be a return address label to Oxbow, and £2.50 in cash which will cover the cost of inland delivery. We suggest that overseas members of the Group retain their copy of Vol. 11, but if you do choose to return it we shall arrange compensation.

We appreciate the effort involved in arranging the return postage. We'd like to make amends in some way and will offer a 10% discount on your next direct purchase from Oxbow, redeemable at any time in 2006.

Please study a copy of Oxbow Book News or look at our website at www.oxbowbooks.com to select any books which interest you. Please address your order for my attention at john@oxbowbooks.com so I can authorise the discount, and refer to 'JRPS Offer' to stir my memory if necessary. This applies to a single order, but you may order as many books as you like........

Once again, we apologise for the inconvenience, and thank you for your patience."
Regards
John Hudson, Managing Director, Oxbow Books'

Committee News

A number of committee members complete their 3 year term in office at this year’s AGM. Those standing down comprise: Steve Willis (President), Jane Evans (Secretary), Ed Biddulph, Charlotte Thompson, Roy Friendship Taylor and Fiona Seeley (Ordinary members). Nomination papers are enclosed. The Group also needs to appoint a new academic editor. Please consider standing for one of these posts. The success of the Group depends on the energy of its members!

The Membership

The SGRP currently has 150 members – welcome to those new to the Group. Grace Simpson has retired from membership. Steve Willis will be writing on behalf of the Group, to send her our best wishes. Congratulations to Robin Symonds, who has married Cecilia Stoian, a research archaeologist from Braila, in eastern Romania, and to Louise Rayner, who also recently married.

The Annual John Gillam Prize

Steven Willis writes: The Committee of the SGRP are pleased to announce that Gwladys Monteil is the recipient of the first John Gillam prize.  This was awarded for her recently completed PhD study of samian pottery at London.  The judges considered this work an outstanding item in the field of Roman pottery studies.  Well done to Gwladys, who is intending to publish her study.  Suggestions of prize-worthy contributions in the field of Roman pottery study should be forwarded to the Group's Secretary. So, if you know any recent items of work appearing in the last two years (i.e. pottery reports - grey literature and otherwise - synthetic studies, student dissertations and theses, etc.), worthy of consideration for the 2006 prize do make this known.  

The Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies

As President of the Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies until 2008 I would like to know if there are ways in which the Society could help the Study Group.  I'm conscious that the last few years have seen an expansion of specialist Roman research groups, each with its own organisation, and that the administrative burden on some individuals is high.  With its Roman Archaeology Committee, set up at my suggestion in the 1990s, the Roman Society has itself added to the list. Resource is scarce, but I wonder whether there is scope for specialist study groups to develop and share a common infrastructure, including website portal, perhaps administered through the Society. My first thought, as you see, has been about assessing whether there are possible economies of scale to be found in administration and web-site support, but you may well have other priorities.  I will of course be asking the Roman Archaeology Committee for its own thoughts on priorities and if there is scope for co-ordination I would like to bring interested parties together later this year with a view to developing a clear plan by the end of the second year of my presidency, June 2007.
Michael Fulford, May 2006

The Study Group for Roman Pottery
Conference 2006: Ghent, 30^th June – 2^nd July

Details of Booking, Programme, Hotel and Travel

The Conference
As previously announced the 2006 annual conference will take place in Ghent, Belgium, this year between 30^th June and 2^nd July. It is being organized principally by our member Wim de Clercq, together with his colleagues at the University of Ghent (Arjen Bosman and Wouter Dhaeze), plus Xavier Deru and Steven Willis. Ghent is renowned as one of Europe’s most charming historic cities and the conference is housed in the very centre of the city in the 13^th Century ‘Het Pand’. The complex is a delightful former monastery and now part of the University; it is a spacious building with 21^st century AV and conference facilities. A virtual tour can be followed at http://www.ugent.be/en/visitstaff/services/tour. This is a stunning venue. The hotel accommodation lies just opposite in the comfortable and good value Ibis Opera (Oper) Hotel. An evening reception is planned and a Conference Dinner.

The Conference is suitably focused around themes and latest research in Roman period pottery either side of the Channel. There is an exciting programme of lectures. Themes include recent work in Belgium and France, cross-Channel issues such as trade, the military (including the Saxon Shore), comparative ‘Romanization’, with a special theme of BBW. The conference, as usual for our annual meetings, takes place over 3 days. Conference starts on the Friday (30^th June) after lunch, finishing at lunch-time on the Sunday. There will be a trip on the Saturday afternoon to view museum collections of Roman and other pottery.

It is anticipated that c. 50+ delegates will attend from Belgium, The Netherlands, France, Germany and Luxembourg, in addition to the British contingent, so there will be opportunities to meet international colleagues, to explore common and contrasting ground, as well as the chance to view a variety of pottery types from the near Continent traded and otherwise.

This year the arrangement will be that members/delegates book their accommodation direct themselves with the Hotel where we are staying. This is the Ibis Opera Ghent (details below). This has been decided as the best option and the most convenient for those attending the conference as you can book to your own requirements. The reception staff (and one imagines most of the Hotel staff) are fluent English speakers, as is widely the case in the Flemish region of Belgium. You will find the arrangements for booking the hotel are straight forward.

Programme
The programme is organized around the themes outlined above. Confirmed speakers include: Fiona Seeley (London), Malcolm Lyne (BBW, trade and supply) Jane Timby (The Gallo-Belgic pottery project), Vivien Swan, Paul Booth (Channel Tunnel Rail Link sites), Xavier Deru (Champagne Gallo-Belgic wares and the British connection), Sonja Willems (north Gaulish mortaria), Wouter Dhaeze (Boulogne), Marleen Martens (Roman pottery from the ‘small town’ at Tienen, Belgium), Raph Clotuche (NE France area excavations and pot), Frédéric Loridant (Roman pottery in Nord-Pas-de-Calais), Wouter Dhaeze, Sofie Vanhoutte and Wim De Clercq (the pottery from the Roman ‘Saxon Shore’ fort and settlement at Oudenburg, near Ostend), Johan Deschieter (synthesis of the pottery from the Roman town at Velzeke, Belgium), and Wim de Clercq & Patrick Degryse (Waalre grey ware in Flanders).

There are one or two slots still left for papers so offers of papers are still welcome, especially if these relate to Conference themes. If you wish to propose a paper please contact Steven Willis in the first instance.


AGM
The Committee decided that it would be helpful in terms of the schedule at the annual conference at Ghent to hold the AGM on the Friday morning, prior to the formal start of the conference programme.  It was realised that delegates at the conference this year would be likely to include many non-members for whom a Group business meeting, within the programme, would hardly be relevant or attractive.  This arrangement also enables those attending the conference to enjoy a full set of papers.  Some members attending the conference will perhaps not be in Ghent for the Friday morning; however, given the circumstances, this arrangement seems the best solution.  There will be opportunities to relay information to members and to conduct brief specific business (votes, announcements, etc.) in the course of the conference programme, when more members may be present.  If you are unable to attend the AGM this year but wish a matter to be raised for noting or discussion please advise either the Hon. Secretary (Jane Evans) or the Group President (Steven Willis).


HOW TO BOOK

Booking of Hotel
Accommodation has been arranged with the Ibis Opera Hotel Ghent at a reduced rate (as we are an academic gathering and via connections with the University of Ghent). The Ibis Opera lies in the centre of Ghent, very close to the Conference centre.

Some 35 members have previously expressed an intention or interest in attending the conference and somewhat more than this number of rooms (some double) have been set aside by the Hotel on our behalf whilst other rooms have been earmarked for continental delegates. Note that these rooms have not been set aside for particular named people. For this to happen you must now formally book. If you have not previously expressed an interest in attending do not let this hinder you from now attending and booking the Hotel. Rooms will be filled on a ‘first come, first served’ basis as you book direct with the Hotel. The Hotel has c. 134 rooms so hopefully if you book in reasonable time you should have a room, although Ghent is a popular destination for tourists and so the Hotel could get booked if one leaves it late. There will, of course, be alternatives.

Our hotel is:
IBIS OPERA, IBIS GENT HOTELS, tel +32 9233 0000  fax +32 9233 1000
H1455-RE@accor.com   www.ibishotels.com <http://www.ibishotels.com/>   www.accorhotels.com/be

The arrangement is that individuals either phone, email or Fax the hotel to make their own arrangements. Simply state that you wish to book accommodation for X number of nights and state your specific needs.  Mention the "SGRP 2006 Ghent Conference-Ibis-Opera" in arrangement with the University of Ghent, when booking; this will ensure you get a reserved room and a reduced fee.  If faxing or phoning the staff member dealing with conferences is Katrin so speak to her or mark Faxs for her attention. If phoning this is best after 9.00am our time and in the weekdays.
 
The cost is €69 (c. £48) a night, €79 (£55) with breakfast.  Members state the Ibis Hotel is good quality accommodation at good value and that the breakfasts represent good value too. You can book for the Thursday night if you wish, this being a consideration since the Conference begins immediately after lunch on Friday.
 
A number of members have now booked their accommodation via these various means and its easy. If you do not wish to give your credit card number over email you can fax this to the hotel. Your credit card information will only be used as a guarantee and booking confirmation, the actual payment will be done at your arrival.

This price is entirely in line with what we have been expecting since last summer - so that is re-assuring.


Conference Fee
The Conference fee will be £38 (or £18 if one opts out of the Conference Dinner on Friday evening – this being the ‘Flemish Beer Meal’ (see below)).
As normally the Conference fee will cover such aspects as the hire of facilities (rooms, AV equipment, portage), tea/coffee, Saturday sandwich lunch, Saturday coach trip, museum entry fees and the Friday evening conference meal: a 'Flemish Beer Meal' (the fee for the latter includes both drinks and food at c. £20).

Conference fees should be sent as a cheque made payable to ‘Study Group for Roman Pottery’ and be posted to:
Louise Rayner, Hon. Treasurer
121 Church Road, TEDDINGTON, Middlesex, TW11 8QH.   Email: member@lourayner.freeserve.co.uk
 

TRAVEL

By Rail
Enquiries made in April on costs of Eurostar fares from London Waterloo to Ghent produced the following information.

There is a direct train from Waterloo to Brussels every 2 hours (sometimes more frequently).
A fare from Waterloo to Ghent costs presently £29.50 each way – travelling that is on Thursday 29^th June and returning on Monday. Non-flexible fares are cheapest.
A fare for a journey on Friday or Sunday may be more expensive. Hence travel this way is no more expensive than travel to a conference in Britain. Fares will be likely to increase as one gets nearer the date.
One can book via the Website using a credit card:
 
http://destinationsen.eurostar.com/sisp/index.htm?fx=destination&loc_id=151744&sub_section=Travel+Eurostar
 
The journey from Waterloo to Ghent (‘Gent Sint Pieters train station’) may take 3 hrs and 30 minutes with a break of a half an hour to change trains at Brussels Midi Station for Ghent, Sint Pieters Station. From the station it is 0.9 of a mile to the hotel.


By Ferry
Enquiries made in April on costs of return sailings from Dover to Calais produced the following quotes.
A P & O return leaving midday Thursday 29^th June and returning in the evening on Sunday 2^nd July based on one car and 2 people gave a quote of £70.
Phone: 0870 520 2020
A Sea France return leaving midday Thursday 29^th June and returning in the evening on Sunday 2^nd July based on one car and 2 people gave a quote of £108.
Phone: 0870 571 1711
These are ‘moment in time’ quotes and costs may go down, or more likely up nearer to the time.


By Car
It is 98miles from the port of Calais to Ghent, and takes about 1hr 40 minutes as the roads are very easy, relatively clear and direct. The Ibis Hotel website has a map showing its location in Ghent.
The Ibis Hotel has car parking and this costs 13 euros (£9) per day; it may be that we can arrange some free car parking at the nearby University car park.
Much of the city centre of Ghent is car free, though this should not be an issue for those arriving in the city from the motorway as one can drive direct to the hotel/university quarter. Note that Ghent is a comparatively large centre so be prepared with regards to navigation.
 

Flying
BA flights from London airports, quoted at £44 for one way, so £88 overall (including taxes). Departing from Heathrow or Gatwick.  Website is www.ba.com
Slightly cheaper flights seem to be provided by SN Brussels Airlines at £85.30 (including taxes) from London Gatwick to Brussels but only two flights came up for 30 June so there is a limitation. The flight takes just over an hour. From Manchester this takes about 1 hour, 20 mins, and the cheapest cost, again seems to be from SN Brussels Airlines, quoted at £86.00; found at www.expedia.co.uk

Most international flights go to the Brussels National airport. You can catch a train from Brussels National airport to Brussels Midi railway station where you can catch a train to Gent-Sint-Pieters railway station.  The train journey from Brussels to Ghent takes about 35 minutes. However, a few flights do go into the Chareloi airport which is south of Brussels. There is a coach service from Chareloi to Brussels Midi Rail station which costs 10 Euros and takes an hour. From there you can catch the train to Ghent (see above).

Car hire at the airport is an option.

Official website for Belgium Tourism in UK is http://www.belgiumtheplaceto.be/
See you there!

Should you have any further questions please contact Steven Willis on 01227 827966 s.willis@kent.ac.uk or Jane Evans

The Graham Webster Memorial Grants, for attending the Annual Conference

Steve Willis writes: The Group offers two grants annually in order to facilitate, through subsidy, attendance at the annual conference by those with limited means. It had been noted in a survey of the membership, that the cost of attending the conference was prohibitive for some members, especially given travel costs. These grants are named in memory of Graham Webster who greatly advanced Roman pottery and other studies over many years. Hence the Committee invite those of limited means to apply for a grant to cover 50% of the conference fee and half of the travel and accommodation costs. The refund will be made at the conference in Ghent. Applications may be submitted by members and non-members of the Group. Preference may be given to applicants wishing to attend most or all of the conference. A sub-committee of the Group will consider the applications with discretion. Applications should be made via a brief statement verifying the limited means of the applicant and their wish to attend the conference. Applications for a grant should be submitted by email or letter to the hon. secretary of the Group (Jane Evans) who will pass the applications on to the sub-committee of the Group who will decide the outcome. The closing date for receipt of applications is 31^st May. Applicants will be informed of the decision of the sub-committee within 10 days of that date.

‘Regionality in Roman Britain’ 22^nd - 23^rd April 2006

A number of SGRP members attended the ‘Regionality in Roman Britain’ course, run by the University of Oxford Department of Continuing Education. The weekend included papers by Martin Millet, Chris Gosden, Hella Eckardt, Ralph Jackson, Kathy SAS (from the Provincial Archaeological Museum at Velzeke, Belgium), Mike Fulford, Sally Worrell, Peter Guest, Ellen Swift and Richard Reece. The emphasis was very much on material culture, a number of speakers being members of the Roman Finds Group. The papers demonstrated how the systematic recording of a variety of artefacts (bracelets, cosmetic implements, coins, pottery, jewellery, religious items) and the analysis of their distributions, is contributing to broader studies of cultural identity. Distributions illustrated regional trends and highlighted the presence of individual ‘foreigners,’ including Romano-British ‘foreigners’ buried on the continent.

Please remember to keep your contact details up to date, including any new e-mail addresses.

Membership Secretary: Louise Rayner       louise@lourayner.freeserve.co.uk

Hon. Secretary SGRP: Jane Evans            

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