Leeds City Museum really needs to realize that everyone’s pantomime wolf deserves his own fridge magnet. Had to make do with turning a postcard into a fridger

Day 17: Making. It has to be the fabulous Museum of Making in Derby, where you can choose your own adventure through the collections #Museum30

Day 16: Last 12 months. Some museum highlights: meeting Mr Darcy at Bankfield; the #MuseumsAssociation conference at the Royal Armouries; Hat Works Museum, Stockport; and Tullie House Museum, Carlisle. #Museum30

Day 15: Kindness. Some of my museum mapping work involves retracing the steps of previous generations of researchers, and like them I am hugely grateful for the kindness of curators in sharing information and access to collections #Museum30

Day 14: Heavy. Weight, bulk, heft are important aspects of the materiality of ancient objects, and hard to convey visually or through text. This Red Polished bowl is surprisingly heavy in the hand, like a full mug of tea, and it rests centred and self-contained despite its rounded base. #Museum30

There it is - 'A History of England in 25 Poems' by @cathamclarke.bsky.social featured in Blackwell's roundup of the Best History Books of 2025. Just in time for Christmas shopping!

🏺 Look at this gorgeous Iron Age jug from Cyprus whose spout is formed by another jug held by a tiny woman! #Matriarcha

Day 13: Background. Stunning animated background for ancient Mediterranean objects at The Burrell Collection #Museum30

Day 12: Digital. The ‘digital turn’ has made possible new kinds of research into museum history - not least tracing objects through digitised historical auction catalogues #Museum30

Day 11: Reflection. I really liked the ‘reflection space’ included in the wonderful ‘Living with Death’ exhibition at Leeds City Museum #Museum30

This is wonderful work, and I can't wait to read the thesis.

I mean, just the best thing ever.

Day 30: Rainbow. Rainbow quartz on display at The Amelia, Tunbridge Wells; and a double rainbow taken through a rain-splashed window. #Museum30

Day 9: Map. For my book project I’m mapping museums in the UK which have ancient Cypriot collections. There are more than you might think! #Museum30

Even thought there is only 1 level of rowers depicted here, I’ve never seen them placed on a level below the main deck in the Bronze Age. So…what are we looking at here? IG link: www.instagram.com/p/DQwEuwZCL_... Photo:

Day 8: Stitch. The incised decoration on ancient Cypriot pottery - often enhanced with lime - is sometimes thought to imitate stitching on textile containers. #Museum30

Day 7: Box. I love this Red Polished pyxis or box from the Cyprus Museum, so enigmatic with its three human figures. #Museum30

I am an archive.

It's my birthday AND Christmas in December... 🤞

Day 6: Clay. What Bronze Age Cypriot craftspeople could achieve with clay has to be seen to be believed #Museum30

Developing & Leading a Major Project in Classics Thurs 27 Nov, 1–3pm Register: shorturl.at/qH4K7 Designed particularly for mid-career researchers seeking to develop a major project, hear from: •Arlene Holmes-Henderson (Durham) •Alex Mullen (Nottingham) •Corisande Fenwick (UCL) •Ellen Swift (Kent)

Day 5: Sharing. Object handling sessions are my absolute favourite way of sharing my enthusiasm for Cypriot antiquities #Museum30

Day 4: Sketchbook. One of the things we enjoyed most about the Young V&A were the vast sketching tables; here with lots of dragons by my daughter. #Museum30

Day 3: Eyes. Theatre masks with hollow eyes on a Roman marble sarcophagus in the World Museum, Liverpool #Museum30

⚠️ Job Alert ⚠️ We are looking for a Post-Doc in Digital Provenance Studies (2 years, FT, TV-L 13). Note: German language fluency essential. Deadline: November 19, 2025. More info at the link. Thank you for sharing and spreading the word. 🙏🏼

Day 2: Signage. An ‘out of order’ sign. Is it better to have galleries with tech and risk it breaking down, or to design them without it? #Museum30

Day 1: Introduction. I’m Anna, and I research collections of Cypriot antiquities in UK museums. I’m currently writing #introductions for two books featuring museums, which is surprisingly good fun. #amwriting #Museum30

Here are the prompts for #museum30 2025 - the ninth year! If you would like to join in all you need to do is share an image, inspired by each days' prompt, throughout November. Don't forget to include #museum30 so other's can find your posts.

Once upon a desert sandy As through winds the trav'ling man he Spied the face of Ozymandy Lying, simply lying there Suddenly there was some writing Pon the plinth that he was sighting That the sand and time were blighting Quoth the statue, "Now despair"

Another ozymandimasterpiece.

Best so far.

Who is that shadowy figure taking a photo by the grave? Is it… myself? #spookyseason #museumtech

Medieval salt-glazed birds from the Wawel in Krakow.

Amazing time at the Princes Czartoryski Museum in Krakow, especially their recently renovated Ancient Art Gallery.

Holiday reading 😍

stop scrolling and post two characters who bring you happiness

'History and Archives in Practice, 2026': call for participation bit.ly/4pITZrs HAP26 takes place in Sheffield on the theme of 'Shaping Societies, Improving Lives: The Impact of Archives & Historical Research'. With @ihr.bsky.social & @nationalarchives.gov.uk.web.brid.gy Closing date 31 October.

Very much looking forward to this!

Did a new one

Call for Papers: “Civilizing” the World: Classicism, Neo-Classical Sculpture, and Plaster Casts in the Service of Imperial Powers and Post-Colonial Elites (1780-1945) Papers deadline: 1 December 2025 Conference dates: 22 - 23 October 2026 Full details here: ics.sas.ac.uk/news-events/...

Had so much fun with this lovely pot at an object handling session last month - part of the fabulous Great North Night event 'Sensory Ancient Worlds' at the Great North Museum: Hancock. Can we do it all again??

In honour of spooky month, share a 4 word horror story only someone in your profession would understand "no record of donor"

For example. 'Photosynthetic pals' and 'algal allies' has already improved my morning by 100%.

Some museum 'object in focus' Bluesky posts have such an AI flavour to them. I hope I'm wrong... An authentic curatorial voice is easily recognised and is such a joy on the timeline.

I am missing the Cyprus State Archives, where they open at 8am and *make* you take a break at 10.30am. Everyone has to down tools and step away from their desks. More of this in UK libraries, archives and HEIs please.

Just deleted my academia.edu account because I can't hand over my data for AI exploitation. Sad, since just the other day I received a lovely message from someone who'd found one of my papers helpful. Surely it should be getting easier rather than harder for humans to connect?

Well, will you look at that - @cathamclarke.bsky.social's 'A History of England in 25 Poems' outstripping 'The Odyssey' in Penguin's Poetry bestseller list!

A Rage Of Souls is released into the world tomorrow. I would be very grateful if you took a look at it. Even more if you bought it, or asked your library to do it.