Autumn Term Courses: Archaeology & History

A new course which will cover Greece and Rome until the fall of the Roman Empire in the West and the survival of the Roman Empire in the East, pulling together what we know about the Greeks and Romans over the past years.

This one will venture into relatively unexplored territory by investigating the numerous ways in which two very different cultures intersected, coincided, and at times collided. Traditionally, ancient historians have tended to characterize Greco-Roman culture in terms of Rome's "debt" to Greece. This course will demonstrate that while the Romans did indeed owe a great deal to Greek creativity and inventiveness, they transformed everything that they borrowed into a distinctly Roman form.

£100; Concessions £90

In 1901 Gertrude Jekyll published her book 'Old West Surrey'. In this course we will be taking a nostalgic trip through the places she visited, the buildings she saw and the occupations she observed. An opportunity to re-discover the social history of West Surrey just over 100 years ago.

£50; Concessions £45

A practical beginners' course to learn to read Tudor and Stuart handwriting and also understand the sources for that colourful period. Using mainly local documents, many from the Loseley manuscripts, you will encounter the exploits of long-lost local celebrities such as the scandalous vicar of Leatherhead and Susan Slatt, the wandering whore of Woking.

£50; Concessions £45

Between 1842 and 1849, in two major publications, David Roberts published some of the finest pictures of Egypt ever produced; the result of his visit in 1838/9. Using extracts from his journal, we will follow him through the Nile valley, compare his views with those of today, and look at his extraordinary career.

£50; Concessions £45

The period between the wars saw an acceleration of changes that had started in the early years of the century. Movement towards social reform, the role of women at work and in the home, education and the growth of the leisure industry are all topics that will be examined during the course.

£20, Concessions £18

The schooling element of the education system evolved through a complex series of initiative with increasing government intervention and much political agitation during this period. The course will examine and explain the pattern of development that brought us up to the 1960s when the framework of the school system we know was laid down.

£15; Concessions £13.50

Artists' and intellectuals' reactions to the Great War is well documented. Most people, however, viewed the conflict through the lens of popular culture: music hall reviews, films, postcards, cartoons, adventure stories and sporting contests. This talk will focus on how the 'ordinary' soldier and the 'ordinary' civilian viewed the war and how a 'militarisation' of culture occurred at this time.