Students who have signed up for the upcoming Classics trip, along with their parents, had the privilege of hearing Dr Paul Roberts, Research Keeper of the department of Antiquities at the Ashmolean, speak about Pompeii, Herculaneum and Rome. Dr Roberts brought his huge knowledge and enthusiasm to bear in describing the beauty and interest of the sites and objects that will be visited on the trip. The talk ranged from the odd (Hadrian’s study at his villa, only accessible by drawbridge) to the poignant (the casts of bodies at Pompeii, preserved in the moment of death).