Media Contacts:Tracy Casorso, Friends of the Library, 919/515-2841

Alexandra Mordecai, News Services, 919/515-3470

October 8, 1996

Roman Empire Scholar to Speak on 2,000-Year-Old City

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Excavations of Aila, a 2,000-year-old Roman port city on the Red Sea, will be the topic of a lecture and slide show by Dr. S. Thomas Parker, North Carolina State University professor of history and renowned Roman Empire scholar, at the NCSU Friends of the Library Fall Luncheon. The luncheon will be held Wednesday, Oct. 30, at NC State's McKimmon Center from noon to 1:30 p.m.

Parker and his research team have just returned from an archaeological excavation in Jordan. In 1994, they discovered the lost city of Aila buried beneath Aqaba, Jordan. Parker, principal investigator of the Roman Aqaba Project, is researching the economy of this ancient port in southern Jordan.

The event is open to the public. Tickets are $12.50 for Friends members, NC State students and library staff; and $15 for the general public. Reservations are required.

For more information or ticket reservations, call the Friends at (919) 515-2841.

--mordecai--