Congratulations Uncle Will, Uncle Hugh, Cousin Reg, and Sir Richard on the 855th anniversary of your day of infamy. www.britishmuseum.org/blog/thomas-...

"What miserable drones and traitors have I nourished and promoted in my household, who let their lord be treated with such shameful contempt by a low-born clerk!"

The stunning Becket casket. Dating from c1180 (ten years after the murder of Archbishop Thomas Becket in Canterbury cathedral), this reliquary may have contained some of his 'relics'. Made in Limoges, France, the murder is shown below and his ascent into heaven above. (V&A mus; 📷 mine)

Detail from one of the 12th century ‘Miracle Windows’ at Canterbury Cathedral which portray the miracles of St. Thomas Becket. 📸 My own. #StainedGlassSunday #CanterburyCathedral

A change of scenery was called for today, so I decided to take a trip to Canterbury. I’ve never visited the Cathedral before, and was very moved by the history (some of which I knew, but other elements I learned).

Something lovely for the weekend! Beautiful blue glass beads from the late Bronze Age 💙 Ploughed up by a farmer in Denmark in 1885, analysis shows the beads were made in Mesopotamia, pointing to long-distance trade in luxury goods some 3,000 years ago. 📷 National Museum of Denmark #Archaeology

Welcome back! youtube.com/watch?v=rerw...

An almost 6,000 years old wooden cup, found in the Late #Neolithic pile dwelling settlement of Hornstaad-Hörnle at the Lake Constance. The waterlogged, anaerobic environment provided ideal conditions for the preservation of organic materials. 📷 @almbawue.bsky.social

Good morning! Awoke to snow and wild seas this morning. Quite cold, windy, and snowing as I took this video. Here are your 3 minutes of peace & calm. #OceanDevotion

Salt water laced with cancer-causing chemicals, a byproduct of oil and gas drilling, keeps shooting out of the ground in Oklahoma. Experts say it means even more wastewater is spreading underground, poisoning the state’s water supply. Published Oct. w/ @readfrontier.bsky.social

As the year begins to quiet, we’re pausing, like a great egret choosing a steady perch over the constantly moving kelp forest canopy. Nature has a gentle way of reminding us to slow down, reflect, and find balance. Here’s to calm moments, the quiet between chapters, and new beginnings. 💙🌊

Something Special is Coming: Dec 29 To celebrate the season and our 2026 milestone, we're doing something special to help you get to the starting line. Keep a close eye on your inbox this Monday - you'll only have a few hours to lock in. Give yourself the gift of the finish line! 🎁⏳ hwb5k.org

This absolute beauty for Boxing Day #DivineLight, a touching memorial to marriage and faith. The Holderness Window (1905) at Chelmsford Cathedral was designed by Henry Holiday, an artist who was influenced by the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. Read more on our website ⤵️ https://ow.ly/Qijj50XOm6J

In Icelandic folklore Jólakötturinn, the Yule Cat, comes to eat those who do not wear their new clothes for Christmas. In this image, you can see somebody did not put on their new Christmas sweater. Or perhaps even more unfortunately, no one got them one! More ... 👇

youtube.com/watch?v=B-G4... 🎄Merry Christmas Uncle W!🎄

I wish a joyous Christmas to all who celebrate. May you have a truly wonderful time 🎄🎅. This #Roman glass spherical bottle would make great #Christmas bauble, but it was used to hold perfume and loose powder. The contents were sealed inside the delicate cosmetic container, and...🧵1/2 📷 me

Christmas tree decorations It's 16 Grey Herons in those trees #heron @everyheron.bsky.social

Betty Reid Soskin, Nation’s Oldest Park Ranger, Dies at 104 www.nytimes.com/2025/12/21/u...

What did 16th-century Florentine nuns sing at Christmas? The answer to this burning question is - carols! Like this one www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRIm...

In English we know it as “Carol of the Bells,” but the melody arises from a Ukrainian folk tradition of songs welcoming the new year and summoning the forces of nature to meet human labor and bring prosperity. Do listen. I wrote about the history here: snyder.substack.com/p/o-generous...

If you are in line for sacrifice to the winter solstice, stay in line!

☠️ I'm in a 1,500-year-old graveyard at Govan Old to tell you about ⤵️ A WHOLE LOT OF HISTORY! It's written by me, Dr Tom Horne, and brought to you on Substack by History Hit. Out 2x a week, on Mondays and Fridays, it showcases the most interesting #history and #archaeology from around the globe.

Enjoyed visiting beautiful Chinon today - a medieval castle town near the Loire, where Joan of Arc first met the Dauphin in 1429, and the fortress now hosts a permanent exhibit on the uses of Joan’s image through the ages. The 15th-century church of Saint-Étienne also warrants a visit. #medievalsky

Happy Winter Solstice 🌬️ When Darkness Pauses, The Light Returns...

Something lovely for the weekend! A 1,800 year-old Roman glass flask shaped like a mouse! Squeak squeak! 🐭❤️ 📷 by me www.metmuseum.org/art/collecti... #Archaeology

This beautiful Saturday morning is brought to you by 'O Clavis David', the next Great O www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDg2... Let's hope we have a similarly glorious day for O Oriens tomorrow.

Ahead of Christmas, it feels fitting to share this Roman fibula - a decorative pin once used to fasten garments - shaped like a stag. In my Christmas-influenced imagination, it looks rather reindeerish! 🎄 Is it Dasher, Dancer, or maybe Rudolph? 🎅 From the Roman Villa at Borg, 2nd c. AD 📷Villa Borg

#Houston, #TX: 17y/o Mkenzy Jenkins was last seen on December 4. Have you seen her? Please SHARE to #HelpUsFindMkenzyJenkins #MkenzyJenkins #HelpUsFindUs

Don't steal pies this Christmas.

It wasn't long ago that women were forced to have a male co-signer to get a credit card or a home loan. Now, the Trump administration wants to end protections against such discrimination. Take 45 seconds today to say "No way." nationalfairhousingalliance.salsalabs.org/ecoaregb/ind...

An amazing example of Gaelic Revival art inspired by the medieval! Commissioned by politician Alice Stoppard Green and designed by artist Mia Cranwell in 1924, the @rialibrary.bsky.social Senate Casket was created as a gift to the first Senate of the Irish Free State.

Tuvalu's first climate migrants have arrived in Australia - More than a third ofTuvalu's 11,000 citizens applied for the new climate visa — a deal forged between the two countries to preserve Tuvaluan culture as the atolls disappear. www.abc.net.au/pacific/firs...

Female-plumage Northern Cardinals are even lovelier, in my opinion, with that incredible caramel color in addition to the red. But, critically, they are also much safer from airborne predators like my neighborhood Cooper's Hawk.

My position on taking action. And on the important space between everything and nothing.

Raya’s solar-plus-storage system aims to be as easy to install as any other household appliance — and fits into a package that looks a lot like a storm cellar out of the Wizard of Oz.

Homes that had cleared vegetation within five feet of the walls were less likely to burn in the Eaton and Palisades fire, new investigation funded by the insurance industry finds: www.latimes.com/environment/... via @nohaggerty.bsky.social

Great article on Zone 0. It takes some work. And money. I'm about to replace 100 linear feet of old cedar slat fence with aluminum. Yes, I could've just replaced the part next to the house, but that whole section is exposed to east winds. Now it will block embers instead of burning.

"I am the light of happiness and I am a dancing owl" Kenojuak Ashevak, Inuk artist #womensart

Latest PBS Terra - Weathered episode is absolutely a must watch - extremely fast sea level rises are likely very soon!

Northern Cardinal (male) during a snow storm today. #birds #birding #cardinal #birdphotography #wildlife #photography #winter #snow 🪶

I've written a lot about the abandoned well crisis in this country. It's an environmental and climate disaster but also a financial disaster. This new article notes the financial reality about why nothing is done. “They can’t, because it bankrupts the industry as we know it.”

Here, kitty… Porto, Portugal #Photography #StreetArt #Mural #Porto 📷

The late C15th font of St Wulfram‘s Church at Grantham in Lincolnshire. 📸 My own. #FontsOnFriday #Grantham

A fragment of late 2nd century wall plaster from Roman Winchester (Venta Belgarum). Now part of the collections at Winchester City Museum. 📸 #FrescoFriday #Winchester #RomanBritain

A UN Environment Programme satellite watches for super-emitter events of methane (the main component of natural gas and a fast/potent greenhouse gas) and alerts the people responsible. Out of 3,500+ alerts since 2022, UNEP "documented 25 cases of mitigation action." That's a 0.7% action rate. 🤦

So powerful and persuasive