These are collected memories and history of the IAS.

Hamish Robertson's Memories of IAS

I joined the IAS in the winter of 1994. Although I had served in Naples when I was in the UK Navy in the mid 80’s, my family and duty commitments did not allow me to join at that time. However it was in that period that I became interested in the acient sites to be seen in Italy. Perhaps the one thing that made me promote the IAS was when a sailor told me that in his 2 year tour in Naples he had not been north of Pinetamare nor further South than Capodichino. What a waste. Italy is one of the most visited countries in the world—why? Because the Greek and Roman ruins and archaeological sites and the renaissance art. All this within easy reach of one based in Naples.

Back to IAS. The International Archaeological Society (IAS) was formed in the late 1970’s by three people at NATO interested in the archaeology of Italy. In those days the group met once a month to study a site and occasionally went to visit sites they had studied. They began printing a newsletter, The Archeotrek, too.

By 1994 the president was a U.S. dental officer at the U.S. hospital, located at that time in Agnano and in 1995 he was replaced by another officer at the hospital. Meanwhile I had agreed to become the vice president and then assumed the presidency in 1996. The annual meeting was end of the year and new officers began their tenure in January.