Women Who Dig: Meet Dr Jess Venner & Roman Found
Join us for a night of history, archaeology, and discovery. Dr Jess Venner will be in conversation with metal detectorist cousins Ellie and Lucie all about what the ground (and what hides within it), can tell us about our history and ourselves.
In conversation with a leading host, all three authors will explore their research and share the stories behind their stories.
Afterwards, they'll be available to sign copies of their books.
About The Lost Voices of Pompeii
Relive the dramatic last day in Pompeii in this immersive story, based on the city’s real residents
We all know how the people of Pompeii died.
But what about how they lived?
Drawing on the latest archaeological discoveries, Dr Jess Venner brings the ancient streets to life through the eyes of those who lived, worked, loved and ultimately met their fate in Pompeii.
Along the way, Venner reveals a community more complex, diverse and human than we ever imagined. We meet Julia Felix, a successful female entrepreneur defying Roman convention; Petronus, a slave grappling with his future after gaining his freedom; politician Gaius Cuspius Pansa, who cements his power and prestige by hosting the Plebian Games at the amphitheatre; and many others.
Pompeii is remembered for its destruction, but here we discover the vibrant lives that came before. Richly evocative and immersive, The Lost Voices of Pompeii vividly recreates the final twenty-four hours before the eruption, reminding us exactly what – and who – was lost in 79 AD.
About Things We Found In The Ground
In this guide-that’s-not-a-guide, metal detectorist cousins Ellie and Lucie explore their local landscape, getting to grips with the hobby, history and themselves along the way.
Beginning with their first meeting in over 20 years at their grandfather’s home in Lincolnshire, the two cousins – Eleanor and Lucilla – quickly discover that each has a fascination with uncovering historic artefacts, which sets them off on their metal detecting journey …
Over many weeks and months spent digging countless holes, the pair make startling discoveries: about the objects they find and what they tell us about our ancestors, about themselves and who they are as people, and about the power of community, as they forge connections with local villagers, detectorists and history lovers along the way.
This charming tale of (self-)discovery will capture the hearts and minds of those seeking escapism through the buried history that we walk over every day.
About Dr Jess Venner
Dr Jess Venner is an award-winning ancient historian and archaeologist. She is currently a Leverhulme Early Career Fellow at the University of Oxford (2025-28) and was a previous holder of the prestigious Rome Award at the British School at Rome (2025-26). She is also an elected Associate Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, and a Trustee of the Herculaneum Society, amongst other academic posts.
Dr Venner is passionate about making ancient history accessible to her 240k+ followers on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Threads, and Substack, creating and sharing expert content via her platform @lifeinthepastlane_
About Roman Found
Cousins Ellie and Lucie are a metal detecting duo united by their shared interest in history and design. What started as a lockdown hobby to explore the outdoors quickly evolved into a deep-rooted passion for the history beneath our feet and inspired the creative journey that became Roman Found, a platform which the pair use to share their adventures with fellow diggers, hobbyists, collectors and enthusiasts through the power of the internet, with a combined online following of over 250,000.
Within the metal detecting world, Ellie and Lucie are active self-recorders of their finds on the Portable Antiquities Scheme and have been featured on the cover of Searcher Magazine, in the Guardian, on BBC Breakfast, The One Show, and ITV’s This Morning. They have also worked with brands like Barbour and LP Metal Detecting, and local and national museums to help bring history to life. Things We Found In The Ground is their first book, published by HarperNorth.