This is an unforgivably stupid situation. It is an astonishing own goal to try and drive student numbers down to move an immigration number that in turn is totally ignored by the anti-immigrant head bangers.

Why would we want to learn from our pasts, or ponder the power of the written and spoken word, or explore the deep questions of humanity? According to the University of Hertfordshire, we wouldn't. They've just cut all of our undergrad Humanities programmes

Larkin’s father died on 26 March 1948. A week the following Sunday it snowed in Warwick. This beautiful elegy was never printed in the poet’s lifetime and yet, arguably, it is his first great poem.

In a *new* post, I have pulled together the latest data on historians in UK universities and PhDs granted. The results are ... not great. Staff numbers have been mostly shrinking since 2019. PhDs have been roughly flat. 1/3. 🗃️ More info here: manyheadedmonster.com/2026/04/23/h...

I’m sensing a pattern

Lecturers (Below the Bar) in Irish Mythology & Folklore University College Cork - School of Irish Learning #skystorians 🗃️www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DRD980/l...

Any excuse to share this magnificent Caravaggio which you can see for free in Dublin. The events of Holy Thursday: betrayal, alarm, despair, resignation and the artist holding a lantern to show the scene to the world.

One gets the impression that Starmer would have sent troops for “defensive” roles in Vietnam. Thankfully we had Wilson instead.

As I'm attending a conference in Tübingen today, for #findsfriday an #IceAge masterpiece that is on display at the University museum: a tiny but most splendid figurine from the Swabian Jura - a #horse carved in mammoth ivory some 40,000 years ago - the oldest known sculpture of a horse. 📷me 🏺

The message from the right wing press this morning seems to be it’s undemocratic to vote the way you want, not the way they tell you. Mind you they’ve been saying this ever since Labour won.

A good candidate, a positive message and there's a large progressive vote out there. Hope Labour can learn from Gorton and Denton.

Portrait of a doge, c. 1460, by Gentile Bellini. Today is his day.

We are advertising 4 jobs at York for historians (1 year medieval, 2 years modern Britain and public history, 3 years modern China, and open ended modern Middle Eastern) features.york.ac.uk/history-jobs/

It's actually real now!

The Ladybird Adventures in History books by Lawrence Du Garde Peach. For many of us they sparked a love of history

Battle between monkeys and wildmen, or, an allegory of current politics. By the Master of Mary of Burgundy, from the Hours of Engelbert of Nassau, 1480.

Jailbreak: the blessed Ranieri frees the poor from a formidable Florentine prison. Painted in 1440 by Sassetta of Siena. It's his day today.

1924 Italian election vibes in the US.

A brilliant speech by Canada's Mark Carney in Davos: "The old order is not coming back. We should not mourn it. Nostalgia is not a strategy...The powerful have their power. But we have something too — the capacity to stop pretending, to name reality, to build our strength at home & to act together."

The Fight Between Good and Evil This amazing font of c.1140 at Eardisley (Herefordshire) presents two dramatic scenes carved with remarkable vigour:

Birkbeck is hiring a Lecturer in Medieval Studies (c.1300-1500), full-time and open-ended. They will be formally based in English but expected to be able to contribute about 0.5FTE to History, including teaching and supervision. Closing date Feb 23rd: cis7.bbk.ac.uk/vacancy/lect...

#happynewyear #ancientbluesky #archaaeology #history #romans Sometime around AD 100, somebody wrote to Flavius Cerialis, commander of the fort at Vindolanda, wishing him a happy New Year. open.substack.com/pub/jamescov...

The sun is spent, and now his flasks Send forth light squibs, no constant rays; The world's whole sap is sunk; The general balm th'hydroptic earth hath drunk, Whither, as to the bed's feet, life is shrunk, ---John Donne, A Nocturnal upon St. Lucy's Day #poetry #solstice #winter #literature

Laura The Witchfinder General Theatre of Blood

Christmas at San Nicolò dei Mendicoli, where _Don't Look Now_ was filmed.

Waiting for my bus in Venice. Luckily it has radar.

The guy at the liquor store gave him the lie. What else could he do but defend his honor.

The Center for Humanities Research at GMU is hosting a hybrid book talk for my monograph Civil Blood: Vendetta Violence and the Civic Elites in Early Modern Italy this upcoming Friday from noon-12:30. Register at this link: chr.gmu.edu/events/17595

Editing today. I would like to formally apologize to anyone I have ever spoken to about the number of times I say "and, so" #editing #podcastsky #podcaster #folkloring #folklore

Eleanora of Toledo in a glorious dress, with her son Giovanni de’ Medici. Painted in 1544, by Agnolo Bronzino. He was born OTD in 1503, in Florence.

Wonderful tribute to a teacher: young Sofonisba Anguissola paints herself being created by Bernardino Campi -- yet at same time, she is of course creating him! Today is her day.

🚨#History #envhist Job Alert: My Department is hiring an Assistant Professor in Environmental History. 🗃️ Come work with us at Warwick. You'll get both excellent colleagues and great students! See details below... And do not hesitate to spread the word... 👇👇👇 www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DPK289/a...

It’s ironic but predictable that the BBC duo -who tried so hard to please the right wing papers-are removed by the right wing papers.

CFP: Gender, Violence and the Early Moderns Confirmed keynote speaker: @jddavies66.bsky.social Deadline: 20 December 2025 Conference: 22 May 2026, European University Institute, Florence all info: www.rensoc.org.uk/event/gender... #EarlyModern #SkyStorians

What did Pasolini know? Fifty years after his brutal murder, the director’s vision of fascism is more urgent than ever

A major US academic conference is offering a special info session with immigration attorney for int’l attendees. Sad it’s necessary and great they’re doing it. But it’s always been tough for some people (eg “Global South” scholars). So this should have always been happening.

Infinitely enigmatic Flagellation of Christ, c. 1455, by spatial genius Piero della Francesca. Today is his day.

Rest in Peace, Diane Keaton. Thank you for your work and for your many wonderful performances. My favorite was your role as Louise Bryant in "REDS" (1981). 🗃️ www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ur1...

A folklorist sees the modern far-right trigger motifs and reads it like a folk tale of distraction ... #vegans #tampons #toilets #NationalTrust. So simple. Don't be a sucker. See through it.

Read all about the history in THE FIREARM REVOLUTION, out in April 26 and now up for pre-order: press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...

Most glorious Annunciation ever. Yet Mary is clearly not convinced! Painted in 1333 by Simone Martini of Siena, whose day is today, with some help from Lippo Memmi.

Marc Bloch will be admitted to the Pantheon in Paris! The date for the "Panthéonisation" is set for 16 June 2026. Meanwhile, @sorbonneparis1.bsky.social has launched a website to keep track of the many conferences to celebrate the event. Some of them start this month. marcbloch.pantheonsorbonne.fr

Today is WORLD DAY OF FOLKLORE, which has been celebrated as a UNESCO initiative since 2018. This is the anniversary of the day in 1846 when antiquarian William Thoms first used the term ‘folk-lore’ as an alternative to the more cumbersome ‘popular antiquaries’ Happy World Folklore Day to you all!

#WyrdWednesday Spring-heeled Jack, the Terror of London, (and all of the UK) c. 1837-1904. He began as a devilish penny-dreadful villain, belching blue flame, clawing at victims, and making impossible leaps over walls and buildings. He later morphed into a heroic protector & avenger of wrongs.

For a moment a majority was for it. And at peak leave we voted bit.ly/45cjF6p Like every summit, all around it was only downside. “The greatest act of national self harm” as many have said from Geldof to Ian Kershaw to Heseltine.