The Annual General Meeting of the Society was held at 2pm on Saturday 7 June 2014, in the Senate Room, Senate House, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HU. The President, Professor Dominic Rathbone, was in the chair and welcomed members and non-members.
The President reported on the Society's activities over the previous year, starting with its publication programme. He thanked the current Editors, Catherine Steel (JRS) and, in particular, Richard Brewer (Britannia), who was stepping down after five years, and the Review Editors, Christopher Kelly (JRS) and Barry Burnham (Britannia). He reported that Professor Burnham would succeed Mr Brewer, and that Dr Hella Eckardt would become the new Review Editor. He also noted the publication of the last of the JRS Monographs, MAMA XI: Monuments from Phrygia and Lykaonia recorded by M.H. Ballance, W.M. Alder, A.S. Hall and R.D. Barnett, edited by Peter Thonemann, with C.V. Crowther and E. Chiricat. He thanked the Publications Secretary, Lynn Pitts, for all her hard work in producing these volumes.
The President then turned to the programme of events and lectures. He referred to a number of joint events which had already taken place: the conference with the Association for Roman Archaeology at the British Museum on Health & Medicine in the Roman World, the conference with the Roman Antiquities Section celebrating 150 years of the Yorkshire Archaeological Society in York, and the conference with English Heritage, Cotswold Archaeology, and the University of Reading on the contribution of commercial archaeology to the study of Romano-British towns. The Society had also held a book launch with the Society for Libyan Studies to celebrate the publication of David Mattingly et al., Frontiers of the Roman Empire: The North African Frontiers. The President thanked those who had delivered evening lectures in London, Charlotte Higgins, Philip Kay, and Michel Amandry, the Society's new Honorary Member who had given the M.V. Taylor lecture. The lectures by Ms Higgins and Dr Kay had been followed by book launches for their new volumes (Under Another Sky: Journeys in Roman Britain, and Rome's Economic Revolution. Economic Growth in the Late Roman Republic). In September, members enjoyed a site visit, tour of the museum and lecture at Vindolanda, and the President thanked Andrew Birley for organising this event. Finally, in March, the University of Reading hosted a very successful RAC XI and TRAC 24. The President thanked John Creighton for organising RAC, and Michael Fulford for his tour of Silchester. The Society's dissertation prize was awarded to Duncan Aldis (Royal Holloway) for his thesis on Roman Chariot Racing in Practice.
The President drew attention to a number of forthcoming events, the First Nottingham Local History and Archaeology Day, a site visit and guided tour of the stores at Fishbourne, a joint conference (The Romans in Ryedale and Beyond) in association with the Roman Antiquities Section (YAS), and Friends of Malton Museum, and this year's joint conference with the Association for Roman Archaeology at the British Museum on Augustus. Many of these events have again been co-ordinated by the Archaeology Committee and the President thanked Peter Guest (Chair) and Fraser Hunter (Secretary). He also thanked the Archaeology Committee for its continued efforts to produce the Society's e-Newsletter, Epistula, and its current editors, Ben Croxford and Louise Revell.
The President also thanked all the officers, members of the Council, and the Committees who gave up their time to help promote the Society's aims. Finally, he thanked the Honorary Librarian, Michael Crawford, the Librarian, Colin Annis, and his team, for all their work over the last academic year.
The President reported that Council had nominated Professor Jean-Louis Ferrary as an Honorary Member, following the death of Professor Gabba. He also reported that Council had agreed to set up a company (HARL: the Hellenic and Roman Society Library) to take care of the management of the Library and to make it easier to attract funding. An Agreement between the two Societies and Articles of Association had been drafted and would be checked by a practising lawyer. Lastly he noted that Council had agreed a proposal to form a joint grant-giving committee with the Roman Research Trust which would disburse the funds from the Society's Donald Atkinson Fund and the RRT's Audrey Barrie Brown Fund. The Donald Atkinson and Hugh Last Funds Committee would therefore be disbanded and the Hugh Last Fund dealt with by a separate committee.
The President asked Dr Philip Kay, the Honorary Treasurer, to deliver his report. Dr Kay presented the accounts for 2013, and referred members to MacIntyre Hudson's statement approving the Accounts. He noted that the accounts showed net incoming resources, before investment gains, of £158,568, and of £297,578 after investment gains. The total net cash inflows to the Society were £64,879 (£72,438 in 2012). The major factors were again the increase in expenditure on the rent for the Joint Library (£50,987 in 2013 compared to £18,742 two years ago), and conversely, the increase in income from CUP (£124,007). The Society's investments continued to be managed by Newton and the Society's portfolio was valued at £1,238,743 (£923,303 in 2012).
The President thanked the Treasurer for his work on the accounts during the year. The Report and Accounts for 2013 were approved on the proposal of Mr Graham Kentfield and seconded by Dr Jean-Michel Hulls. The remuneration of MacIntyre Hudson was proposed by Dr Andrew Burnett and seconded by Dr Helen Cockle, and the reappointment of McIntyre Hudson was proposed by Dr Tim Leary and seconded by Mr John Bradley.
Dr Simon Corcoran proposed and Ms M. Ashcroft seconded the following nominations for Council: as Vice-Presidents for 2014–15: Professor A.K. Bowman, FBA, FSA, Dr A.M. Burnett, CBE, FBA, FSA, and Professor M.G. Fulford, CBE, FBA, FSA; as Hon. Treasurer and Hon. Secretary for 2014–15: Dr Philip B. Kay, FSA and Mrs F. Jane Fisher-Hunt, respectively; and as Council members for 2014–17: Mr Stephen Bird, Dr Terry Edwards, Dr Jennifer Ingleheart and Mrs Elizabeth McKnight.
All the above Resolutions were passed nem. con.
The AGM was followed by a colloquium: Tiberius the Successor. The speakers were Professor Catharine Edwards, ‘The Great Devotion of our Prince to his Mother’: Tiberius and Livia; Professor Peter Wiseman, The Man who Chewed Up the Roman People; Professor Amanda Claridge, The Villas of Tiberius; and Dr Eleanor Cowan, Writing the Roman Revolution: Velleius Paterculus.
