Dr Pollard, a Roman historian and archaeologist, is based within Swansea University’s Department of Classics, Ancient History and Egyptology, and his secondment to the centre, also known as the Centro, began on August 1.

The Centro is a long-established centre, administered by Duke University in North Carolina, USA, for advanced undergraduate students specialising in Classics, Classical Archaeology and Ancient History.

Students come from universities all over North America, and many undergraduates who attend the Centro go on to become research students and academics in these fields.

Dr Pollard has previously taught at the Centro as an assistant professor in 1993-4.

Returning as Professor-in-Charge, he will design and oversee the academic programme for a year and manage the academics who are specialists from the US higher education system who teach at the Centre for a year, on secondment from their home institutions.

Students undertake a semester's study, either in the autumn or the spring, and undertake an academic programme that emphasises studying Roman and Greek sites, monuments and museum collections at first-hand.

The Centro’s academic staff take students out into the city of Rome, on study visits beyond the city and on week-long field trips to Sicily and Campania, and teach them about the material remains of Roman and Greek antiquity on site.

Dr Pollard said: “I am delighted to take up this appointment at the Centro. In addition to the work I will undertake to design and oversee the academic programme for the forthcoming year, I will also be working on a new book on ancient Rome in the light of recent excavations in the city.

“I also intend to explore possibilities for longer-term archaeological fieldwork in Italy, especially around the Bay of Naples, interacting with students and academics to raise the profile of Swansea University in my academic field.”

For more information on the Department of Classics, Ancient History and Egyptology at Swansea University visit the Department's website.