Historian Mary Beard is the latest to be awarded the Bodley Medal, the highest honour of Oxford University's Bodleian Libraries.
The Cambridge University chair of classics is the author of a number of highly-regarded works on the classical period, including Pompeii: The Life of a Roman Town and her latest book SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome.
She is also a well-known TV personality following appearances on a BBC Two documentary on Pompeii and mini-series Meet the Romans.
First engraved in 1646, the Bodley Medal is awarded by the Bodleian Libraries to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to field the Bodleian is involved with, including literature, culture, science and communication.
Past winners have included physicist Stephen Hawking, novelist Hilary Mantel, writer and actor Alan Bennett and Sir Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web.
Professor Beard will receive the award on Tuesday, April 5 at the Sheldonian Theatre following a talk with current Bodley's Librarian Richard Ovenden.
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