Using the Roman Family to Enhance the Value of Roman Culture in the Present

Description of impact *

Drawing on his research on Roman history, in particular on the Roman family, Ray Laurence has had a major impact on museum policy in Canterbury as well as raising public awareness of Roman culture and society for an international audience. Following a proposal by Canterbury City Council in February 2010 to close the Canterbury Roman Museum, Laurence initiated a response based on research within the Department which demonstrated the potential for the Roman Museum to engage with visitors in new ways. This led to the Council not only reversing its decision to close the Museum, but also making it one of the priority sites for its future museums policy. Working with other staff in his Department, Laurence has since developed new digital content for the museum as part of this strategy. In addition, Laurence has worked with Cognitive Media to produce two short animated films on the Roman family which received around 260,000 viewings in a 9-month period from the launch of the first film on 29 October 2012 until 31 July 2013. This has led to the leading website TED-Ed.com commissioning Laurence to produce further films on Roman life, and to the extensive circulation of his current films through TED-Ed.com as a classroom resource by teachers.

Impact date	1 Apr 2010 → 31 Jul 2013
Category of impact	Society impacts