AN ARCHAEOLOGIST who began his career digging in St Albans has this week been awarded an MBE for services to British archaeology in Turkey. Geoffrey Summers, now Professor of Archaeology at Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey, was awarded t

AN ARCHAEOLOGIST who began his career digging in St Albans has this week been awarded an MBE for services to British archaeology in Turkey.

Geoffrey Summers, now Professor of Archaeology at Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey, was awarded the MBE on Friday, December 11. Mr Summers started out volunteering for digs in St Albans and Verulamium with other like-minded students in the 60s and 70s.

Now, over 30 years later, Professor Summers is being recognised for his work that includes 15 years spent on the unearthing of an Iron Age city in central Turkey - thought to date back to 500BC.

Last Saturday, December 12, Professor Summers came back to St Albans to reconnect with a few of his old colleagues.

Denley Lane, an old friend of Geoffrey Summers, and an amateur archaeologist himself, was there to congratulate his friend: "There was a group of about 10 of us that met up to celebrate Geoffrey's achievement this week, and we started out volunteering back in the sixties, the year after we finished college," he said.

"Geoffrey used to live in Potters Bar and would cycle over to St Albans to help out on the sites," said Mr Lane.

Professor Summers had previously been an active member of the St Albans and Herts Architectural and Archaeological Society, which itself dates back to 1845. The society was formed to promote an interest in local history and to encourage research.