Talk by Gillian Hovell, 'The Muddy Archaeologist', on how the Roman Saturnalia festival shaped modern Christmas traditions, with ancient and modern artwork.
Gillian Hovell brings her talk io Saturnalia: Happy Christmas the Roman Way! to Verulamium Museum on Tuesday 15 December. It's a look at how the ancient Roman Saturnalia festival shaped the Christmas we recognise today, and the talk runs an hour with a Q&A to follow.
The premise is one that usually catches people off guard: that early Christians celebrated Christmas at the same time the Romans were feasting for their pagan Saturnalia. From there, Hovell traces how countless pagan habits were absorbed into modern Christmas traditions. Present-giving, holly, and even party hats all stem from that 2,000-year-old Roman celebration. She draws on both ancient and modern artwork to unpack the images and stories behind the festive season, so you'll see the visuals as well as hear the history.
Hovell is known professionally as 'The Muddy Archaeologist', and she's got the background to back it up. She graduated in Latin and Ancient History from Exeter University, worked at the BBC, and has been involved in archaeology since 2003. Over the years she's led a dig in Yorkshire for nearly a decade and taken part in several internationally important excavations, so she's spent plenty of time on the ground with the very things she's talking about.
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It's a Tuesday night, so the timing works well if you're looking for something to do before the proper Christmas rush kicks in. The museum opens at 18:30, which gives you half an hour to wander around and have a look before the talk starts at 19:00. The museum is on St Michael's Street in St Albans, AL3 4SW.
