The RAS goes back over a century. An independent group, the Yorkshire Roman Antiquities Committee, was founded in 1906 and was reconstituted three years later as a subcommittee, subsequently a Section, of what is now the YAHS.
What do you do? Why should I join?
Our friendly and helpful membership includes national and international experts on Roman Britain, as well as students of, and many people who are simply interested in, Roman life. If you are among any of these groups we will be delighted to welcome you!
Each year we have five illustrated lectures and business meetings each winter, normally on a Saturday afternoon, and during the summer we organise field trips. Our speakers are, again, authorities in their fields. The lectures are largely focused on Roman Yorkshire, but we also have speakers who discuss wider aspects of Roman Britain or the Roman world in general.
Our programme for the year ahead can be found here.
We organise day-schools on Roman Yorkshire and related topics, sometimes together with other bodies, including the prestigious Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies (the 'Roman Society'). Often the papers from these are published as academic publications.
We produce Roman Yorkshire, an illustrated pdf-format newsletter. This contains Section news together with articles on Roman news, research, finds, meetings, excavations, courses, articles and books concerning Yorkshire and further abroad. More details, and links to past issues, here.
Our library forms part of the YAHS section of the Brotherton Library and includes many books donated by members for the use of others. To access our books, you need to join the YAHS as a full member and obtain a reader's ticket by contacting the Society's General Secretary.
It's not expensive
Come along to one of our meetings first if you like, to get a taster of the Section. Just introduce yourself - you'll be made very welcome.
Then join the Yorkshire Archaeological & Historical Society, with all the benefits that brings, and you can join the Roman Section at a reduced annual rate, £6.00. The details are here.
Alternatively you can choose to join just the Section for £16.00 per annum. More here.
In each case, add £3.00 for a second family member at the same address.
As a registered charity, the Yorkshire Archaeological & Historical Society is eligible for the Gift Aid scheme. If you are a UK taxpayer you can at no extra cost to yourself make every pound you subscribe worth an extra 25 pence to us - please do! You will be asked for Gift Aid details when joining.
Contact us
Please contact us by email as shown below (click on the name), or by post to:
Roman Antiquities Section,
c/o Yorkshire Archaeological & Historical Society,
Stringer House, 34, Lupton Street,
Hunslet,
LEEDS,
LS10 2QW
Hon. Chairman: Dr. Pete Wilson
Hon. Secretary: Jo Heron
Hon. Treasurer: currently vacant; please contact the Chairman.
Hon. Lecture Secretary: Dr. Peter Halkon - for enquiries re. our lecture programme ONLY
Editor “Roman Yorkshire” & Section web pages: David Brear