The Annual General Meeting of the Society was held at 2pm on Saturday 3 June 2017, in the Woburn Suite, Senate House, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HU. The President, Professor Catharine Edwards, 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. She thanked the Publications Secretary, Dr Lynn Pitts, the current Editors, Professor Catherine Steel (JRS) and Professor Barry Burnham (Britannia), and the Review Editors, Professor Christopher Kelly (JRS) and Dr Hella Eckardt (Britannia). Professor Kelly would now succeed Professor Steel as Editor, and Dr Peter Thonemann would take over as Review Editor. The Society published Britannia monograph No. 28, Silchester: Changing Visions of a Roman Town. Integrating Geophysics and Archaeology: the Results of the Silchester Mapping Project 2005–2010 by John Creighton with Robert Fry, and No. 29, New Visions of the Countryside of Roman Britain. Volume 1: The Rural Settlement of Roman Britain by Alexander Smith, Martyn Allen, Tom Brindle and Michael Fulford. In December, this volume was the subject of the Roman Research Trust's Joan Pye Lecture hosted by the Roman Society and followed by the launch of the new book. Finally, the President noted that two further issues of Epistula had been published online, and she thanked the Editors, Professor Maureen Caroll and Dr Roberta Tomber, who were now stepping down.
The President then turned to the programme of events and lectures. In the session 2016–2017, the usual programme of lectures held in London at Senate House featured Professor Eleanor Dickey (Naked from the Knees Up: Ancient Latin Textbooks Rediscovered); and Professor Ian Haynes and Professor Penelope Allison, who delivered a pair of lectures on the social impact of the Roman army. Last June, for the first time, we held a joint lecture with the Friends of the British School at Athens, delivered by Professor Tim Whitmarsh: Historians Against Rome. Our usual joint conference with the Association for Roman Archaeology was held at the British Museum in November on the theme: The Roman Empire Off Limits. Out of London, we also held our annual conference in Yorkshire with the Roman Antiquities Section (Yorkshire Archaeological Society), this year on Rome and Natives in Central Britain. We have also collaborated in holding events in Cirencester at the Corinium Museum, the University of Durham, and the University of Kent. We organised two museum visits: the Museum of London for their Looking for Londoners: Written in Bone exhibition and the British Museum for Sunken Cities. Egypt's Lost Cities.
The President also drew attention to a number of forthcoming events including, in collaboration with the Hellenic Society, a major day conference on Sculptural Display: Ancient and Modern (generously sponsored by Christian Levett); a conference at Senate House: Retrospect and Prospect: 50 Years of Britannia (looking ahead to the publication of Britannia 50 in 2019); and the annual conference with the Association for Roman Archaeology at the British Museum (Trajan).
Many of these events have been co-ordinated by the Archaeology Committee and the President thanked its members, especially Dr Peter Guest, who was now stepping down as Chair. In a long and dedicated service to the Committee, Dr Guest had been responsible for overseeing the development of a UK-wide programme of events, initiatives such as Epistula and IMAGO, and for developing RAC as a major international conference.
The President thanked all who serve on the Society's Committees, especially the retiring Council members, Mr Stephen Bird, Dr Terry Edwards and Ms Caroline McDonald. She particularly thanked Mrs McKnight for serving as Hon. Secretary (2015–2017). She also noted the tremendous contribution of Professor Michael Crawford who had held the position of Hon. Librarian from 1994 to 2016. Professor Crawford had devoted much attention to building up the Library collection, especially in Italian archaeology; he had been fiercely protective of the Library staff; and he had been hugely instrumental in all negotiations with the University of London, especially the most recent round which had resulted in the signing of the twenty-five year Agreement. The President also referred to the equally remarkable contribution of the Librarian, Mr Colin Annis, who had retired in December. Mr Annis, an Honorary Vice-President of the Roman Society, had joined the Library as the Senior Library Assistant in 1979 before becoming Deputy Librarian in 1989 and Librarian in 1995. The President welcomed Ms Joanna Ashe who had recently taken up the position of Librarian. Lastly, the President expressed thanks to the Secretary, Dr Fiona Haarer, for her hard work and efficiency during the year.
The President reported that following the signing of the twenty-five year Agreement with the University of London which she had noted at the last AGM, we have now launched a fundraising campaign. The campaign had been launched on 7 February with the Bloomberg Tablets lectures followed by a reception in the Library, attended by two hundred. Two giving schemes had also been introduced: the Friends of Minerva (annual giving and gifts to the Designated Fund) and the Apollo Society (legacies). The Society is now involved in the preparation of a new Hellenic & Roman Library website, the planning of a series of cultivation events, and a Campaign Board has been formed.
The President asked Dr Philip Kay, the Honorary Treasurer, to deliver his report. Dr Kay presented the accounts for 2016, and referred members to MacIntyre Hudson's statement approving the Accounts.
Dr Kay noted that this was the first year of the new twenty-five year arrangement with the University of London under which the Roman and Hellenic Societies pay fees to the Hellenic and Roman Library (HARL) mainly to fund the salaries of the librarians of the Joint Library. The Library costs increased from £108,954 in 2015 to £160,380 in 2016, and therefore despite the Society benefiting from the publishing agreement with CUP (£141,070 in 2016, up 14% on 2015 – £123,874), there was a net cash outflow in 2016 of £104,058 (2015: net inflow of £42,094). To cover this shortfall, the Society liquidated £150,000 of its investments in November 2016, but because the Newton Growth and Income Fund (in which the Society invests) performed well in 2016 (+14.5%), the Society's investment portfolio was still valued at the end of the 2016 financial year at £1,482,210, about the same level at which it started the year (£1,480,780). Dr Kay concluded by noting that funding the Library would cost in the region of £160,000 p/a plus inflation. It was therefore important that the fundraising campaign launched earlier in the year was successful, and he encouraged members to make a donation.
The President thanked the Treasurer for his work on the accounts during the year. The Report and Accounts for 2016 were approved on the proposal of Mr Graham Kentfield and seconded by Mr Robert Lister. The remuneration of MacIntyre Hudson was proposed by Dr George Maher and seconded by Mrs Edna Russell, and the reappointment of MacIntyre Hudson was proposed by Dr Tim Leary and seconded by Mrs Daphne Taylor.
Professor Christopher Kelly proposed and Dr Helen Cockle seconded the following nominations for Council: as Vice-Presidents for 2017–18: Dr A.M. Burnett, CBE, FBA, FSA, Professor M.G. Fulford, CBE, FBA, FSA, Professor D.W. Rathbone; as Hon. Treasurer and Hon. Secretary for 2017–18: Dr P.B. Kay, FSA and Professor R.G. Mayer, respectively; and as Council members for 2017–18: Dr D. Calomino, Ms S. Jackson, Dr G. Maher, Dr K. McDonald, Professor A.G. Poulter, Dr V. Rimell, Dr B. Russell and Dr M. Zarmakoupi. All the above Resolutions were passed nem. con.
The President reported that Professor C.M. Kelly had been appointed as the Editor of the Journal of Roman Studies, and that Professor R.S. Bagnall had been appointed as an Honorary Member, following the death of Professor Panciera.
There was no other business.
The AGM was followed by a colloquium marking the bimillennium of the death of Ovid. The speakers were Professor W. Fitzgerald, Metamorphosis and Metamorphoses, Dr I. Ziogas, Actaeon's Gaze: Art and Spectacle in Ovid, Metamorphoses 3, Professor H. Lovatt, Ovid and the Argonauts: Heroides, Metamorphoses and Maffeo Vegio's Vellus Aureum, and Dr K. Lorenz, Remix Culture! Pompeian Mythological Painting and Ovid.
