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Three Classical Studies students at the University of Winchester will be given a special view of ancient civilisations after gaining coveted places on residential courses with the British Schools at Rome and Athens.
Tessa Bell and Madeline Lee-James are off to Rome in September while Megan Houghton is bound for Athens at the end of August.
During their 12 days in Rome Tessa and Madeline will attend a mix of lectures/seminars in the evening and take part in fieldtrips during the day. Destinations include Pompeii, the Colosseum and Hadrian's Villa as well as access and behind-the-scenes admission to many museums exhibits and sites.
The pair are the first Winchester students to not only to apply for, but to win places on this prestigious programme in Rome which is only open to a few students each year.
Tessa is originally from South African but grew up near Winchester.
She says she is most looking forward to seeing the Vatican. Tessa plans to use the opportunity to enrich her dissertation research, which she is conducting under the supervision of Dr Carey Fleiner, on the role of exotic animals in Imperial Roman displays and spectacles and their migration into domestic households.
Madeline is a second-year student from Macclesfield with a particular interest in Graeco-Roman textiles.
Dr Fleiner said: “The BSR programme is highly competitive, with only 15-20 spaces on offer each year to students from throughout the UK. It is a fantastic achievement for both Tessa and Maddie to have won places on this prestigious course - we can't wait to hear all about their experiences when they return to campus in September.'
Megan’s trip to Athens combines site-based lectures with tours of key archaeological sites and museums in Athens and Attica and the Peloponnese.
Second year student Megan is South African but has been living in England for seven years. She is the third Classical Studies student from Winchester to gain a place on the course in Athens.
Megan said: “I am most looking forward to the visit to the Kerameikos, as I will be using case studies from the cemetery in my dissertation, and I’d like to take my own pictures.
“I am also looking forward to getting to know the other students on the course, who are from all around the UK, as well as being very excited to visit Greece for the first time and see the classical sites in person.”
Programme Leader for Classical Studies Dr Polly Stoker said: “Competition for places on its three-week residential course are highly sought after every year, with only 30 undergraduate places offered annually to applicants from all UK universities. This is a fantastic achievement for Megan - we wish her the very best of luck with her studies and look forward to hearing all about her experiences this summer.”
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