The Department of Classics is delighted to issue an invitation to a special lecture and celebration at the Ure Museum of Greek Archaeology, on Thursday 21st February 2013, beginning 4:30 pm. We have established this lecture in celebration of the generous bequest to the Ure Museum of a collection of 75 Carthaginian artefacts and a Roman lamp, in memory of Prof. J.E. Gordon. We are delighted to present Prof. Peter Kruschwitz, Head of the Department of Classics, who will deliver a brief lecture on ‘A Reading lamp’.

Prof. James Edward Gordon (1913–1998), a pioneering materials scientist and biomechanical engineer, served as Professor of Materials Engineering at the University of Reading. His long held interest in the ancient world led to interdisciplinary collaborations, especially with the late Dr John Landels, and their establishment of a joint degree in Classics and Engineering. While that degree is no longer available, Prof. Gordon is well remembered on the campus, not least in the excellent Gordon Theatre, and now with this lecture, which we hope will be continued in the future.

Prof. Gordon’s Carthaginian artefacts were catalogued by University of Reading students, Charley Chamberlain and Alice Honey, in 2011, and conserved and packaged by museum interns, Amy Brown (Canada) and Monica Spaziani (Italy) in 2012. While this remarkable collection forms part of the Ure Museum’s (stored) teaching collection, we will have it on display temporarily for this event. Prof. Gordon’s lamp, studied in 2012 by Hannah Fisher (Christie’s Institute of Education), while a museum intern, is also on temporary display in the Ure Museum, thanks to the efforts of Cara Sheldrake (University of Exeter), herself a former Reading undergraduate. These and the museum’s other displays will be visitable before and throughout the event, so that visitors may view them at their leisure.

The event will commence with drinks from 4:30pm. We would be extremely grateful if visitors could indicate their intention to attend to Guja Bandini at ure@reading.ac.uk or 0118 378 6990 at their earliest convenience.