The 2017–2018 Rumble Fund trip returned to Rome – in connection with our King’s BA module on ‘Roman art’. In total 20 students benefited from the trip (including two MA students), which was led by Dr Michael Squire and Dr John Pearce.

The Rumble Fund provides an opportunity for students to visit the sites and monuments that they study here in London. The 2017–2018 visit to Rome, in December 2017, marked the fifth anniversary of the Fund: as in previous years, all costs of the trip were covered thanks to the generosity of the Jamie Rumble Memorial Fund. The Department of Classics at King’s is still the only place in Britain that offers such extended fieldtrips to classical lands – integrated within our programme of undergraduate/graduate modules, and without cost to students.

Each day of the trip was packed with museums and sites (over 20 in total): particular highlights included the special-access tours we arranged to the Vatican necropolis, the Houses of Livia and Augustus on the Palatine and to the Domus Aurea (‘Golden House’) of the Emperor Nero. Our hotel was located right in the heart of the Centro Storico – in the Monti district of Rome (just a five-minute walk from the Forum). Tours and visits were arranged in collaboration with the British School at Rome, and students enjoyed a special lecture at the School (by Dr Thomas-Leo True), followed by a drinks reception and dinner.

As in previous years, students took to social media to share their experiences of the trip: you can follow their posts using the hashtag #kclrumble17 (on twitter and instagram), or through our Facebook group. Other students found inspiration in Rome for the competition on the theme of ‘Modern Classicisms’ – the deadline for which is 22 January 2018.

The Department of Classics is hugely grateful to all those who helped with this year’s trip to Rome, especially staff at the British School at Rome (under the directorship of Prof. Stephen Milner). Above all, though, we are grateful to the former King’s student who established the Jamie Rumble Memorial Fund in 2012.

There will be a chance to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Jamie Rumble Memorial Fund at the 2018 Rumble Lecture in Classical Art – delivered by Prof. Mary Beard on Wednesday 14 March 2018. We are expecting a full-house for the event, and early booking is recommended: to book your place, please visit here. To date, over 120 students have benefited from the trips organised through the Rumble Fund, and we hope to welcome as many of them back to King’s as possible for the celebratory lecture!