Your passport to Roman Britain
The Association for Roman Archaeology is a charity for everyone who wants to explore, understand and help protect Roman Britain.
Who we are
Bringing Roman Britain to life
The ARA supports and fosters interest in Roman archaeology — for lifelong enthusiasts, for families, and for anyone curious about the civilisation that shaped these islands.
New discoveries are made every year, and our members are among the first to hear about them. Through lectures, study days, tours and our full-colour publications, we connect people with the sites, the finds and the specialists working on them — and we help fund research that keeps that story growing.
Families and children are especially welcome. The ARA is an enjoyable way to discover just how much of everyday life today still carries a Roman inheritance.
Membership
One membership. Most of Roman Britain.
Joining the ARA is the easiest way to get closer to the Roman world — and every membership directly supports the work of saving our Roman heritage.
- Free entry to over 40 participating sites and museums — most of the Roman sites in Britain
- A free membership pack to welcome you
- A free full-colour illustrated guide to Littlecote Roman Villa
- The annual full-colour ARA Bulletin, plus two colour news magazines a year
- Invitations to lectures, dinners, tours and excursions
Annual membership rates
| Single | £25 |
| Joint | £30 |
| Family (up to 2 children) | £35 |
| Single | £55 |
| Joint | £70 |
Corporate membership £30 a year. Overseas rates reflect higher postage costs.
Become a memberWhere membership takes you
Free entry to Roman Britain
Your card opens the door to more than forty Roman sites and museums — from the forts of Hadrian's Wall to the villas of the south coast. Several are cared for by English Heritage.
The Roman Baths
Bath, SomersetFishbourne Roman Palace
Chichester, West SussexChedworth Roman Villa
GloucestershireBirdoswald Roman Fort
Hadrian's Wall, CumbriaCorinium Museum
CirencesterArbeia Roman Fort
South Shields, Tyne & WearBrading Roman Villa
Isle of WightVerulamium Museum
St Albans, HertfordshireCaerleon & Legionary Museum
Newport, South Wales…and many more, including the Yorkshire Museum, Segedunum at Wallsend, Corbridge, Chesters, Wroxeter, Lullingstone and Littlecote. See the full list of partner venues.
Every member receives a free full-colour guide to Littlecote.
Featured site
Littlecote & the Orpheus mosaic
Beside the River Kennet in Wiltshire lies one of the most completely excavated Roman villas in Britain. At its heart is the Orpheus mosaic — a fourth-century floor once called the finest pavement the sun ever shone upon in England.
Rediscovered in 1976 and excavated over many years under Bryn Walters, Littlecote grew from a modest corridor villa into a courtyard estate of some sixty rooms, with bath suites, hypocausts and a striking triple-arched gatehouse. It is the kind of place ARA membership is made for — and the subject of the illustrated guide we send to every new member.
Events
Lectures, tours & excursions
Throughout the year the ARA brings members together to learn from leading specialists and to visit remarkable places — in good company.
- Illustrated lecturesAutumn–Spring
- Study days & site visitsSeasonal
- Guided tours & excursionsSummer
- Annual dinnerBy invitation
- Annual General MeetingMembers
The full programme is published in the ARA Bulletin and shared with members.
Publications
The ARA Bulletin
Members receive our flagship annual Bulletin — richly illustrated and full of new discoveries — together with two colour news magazines each year, keeping you close to the latest in Roman archaeology.
Join the ARA
Become a member today and start exploring Roman Britain — while helping to protect it for the future.
Become a member