The African Emperor:
The Life and Times of Septimius Severus
Dr Simon Elliott,
Managing Director, Sentinel Communications
Date: 19th of November 2025
Time: 20:00
Venue: Zoom
Septimius Severus was Rome’s black emperor. Born in the blistering heat of a North African spring in Leptis Magna, AD 145, he died in the freezing cold of a northern British winter in York in AD 211. A giant of an emperor, whose career can be counted in superlatives, Severus was in power at the height of Rome’s might. He led the largest army to ever campaign in Britain, comprising 50,000 men, part of a Roman military establishment which peaked at 33 legions under his rule.
About the speaker:
Dr Simon Elliott is an award winning and best selling archaeologist, historian and broadcaster with a PhD in Classics and Archaeology from the University of Kent where he is now an Honorary Research Fellow. He has an MA in Archaeology from UCL and an MA in War Studies from KCL. Simon is widely published with numerous works in print on various themes relating to the ancient world, with a particular focus on the Roman military, and he makes frequent appearances on TV as a Roman expert. Simon lectures widely to universities, local history societies and archaeological groups, is co-Director of a Roman villa excavation, a Trustee of the Council for British Archaeology and an Ambassador for Museum of London Archaeology. He is also a Guide Lecturer for Andante Travels and President of the Society of Ancients.
OTHER EVENTS
The End of Enlightenment: Empire, Commerce, Crisis
Date: 17th of December 2025
Time: 20:00
Venue: Zoom
Speaker: Prof Richard Whatmore, School of History, University of St Andrews
The Enlightenment is popularly seen as the Age of Reason, a key moment in human history when ideals such as freedom, progress, natural rights and constitutional government prevailed. In this radical re-evaluation, historian Richard Whatmore shows why, for many at its centre, the Enlightenment was a profound failure.
Mrs Holmes Taught Sherlock all he Knew: Uncovering the Truth about Victorian Women Detectives
Date: 21st of January 2025
Time: 20:00
Venue: Zoom
Speaker: Dr Sara Lodge, School of English, University of St Andrews
A revelatory history of the women who brought Victorian criminals to account—and how they became a cultural sensation.
Appalachia and the Hillbilly in the American Imagination
Date: 18th of February 2025
Time: 20:00
Venue: Zoom
Speaker: Dr Antony Harkins, Western Kentucky University, USA
The Appalachian region in the United States comprises the range of mountains stretching from north Georgia up to the state of Maine. It has been celebrated as an area of natural beauty and long-distance walks as well as a major centre of bluegrass music. However, it is also a very misunderstoodarea as evidenced by JD Vance’s Hillbilly Elegy.