Professor David Tomalin

Visiting professor at Southampton University and former county archaeologist for the Isle of Wight, David Tomalin is passionate about the past. Roman Vectis, his latest book, is the first account for 100 years of the Island’s Roman past and its enduring significance for today’s Vectensians.

A resident of the Island for 50 years, David has been described as ‘the greatest repository of Wight’s archaeological knowledge’. He has personally excavated and investigated many of Wight’s archaeological sites and has often battled to ensure the preservation of the Island’s heritage. An experienced underwater archaeologist, he co-directed an international team that investigated the Solent’s eroding coast and other vulnerable coastlines in Eire, France and Italy. His team also discovered a submerged forest and Middle Stone Age occupation off Wight’s coast at Yarmouth; at a depth of 11 metres, it is the deepest discovered human occupation off the coast of Europe. He has advised the UK government on nautical archaeology policy and chaired the Maritime Committee of the Association of Local Government Archaeological Officers. He is active in fieldwork and research on the Isle of Wight and is a Trustee of Vectis Archaeological Trust, Vice-Chairman of the Friends of Brading Roman villa and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries.

His most recently published works include The Wrecks of HM Frigates Assurance (1753) & Pomone (1811), on which he and his team dived at Needles of Wight, and a major contribution to the newly published study of Villas, Sanctuaries and Settlement in the Romano-British Countryside (ISBNs 9781739216801, 9781789256376 and 9781803273808).

Roman Vectis: archaeology and identity in the Isle of Wight is available from Website: https://romanvectis.com/