Are you a PG research student based outside of London? Did you know that you may be eligible for a bursary of up to £500 to take one of our short courses in 2026? Find out more on our IHR Research Training and Short Courses page: www.history.ac.uk/study-traini... Applications open until 31 Jan 2026

Can’t get to London for summer school? In Jan we are running online courses. Forget the cold by exploring medieval manuscripts. Classes are small so book now! 👇 @ies-sas.bsky.social @warburginstitute.bsky.social @senatehouselib.bsky.social @ihr.bsky.social #MedievalSky ies.sas.ac.uk/news-events/...

I've been interviewed by Historie magazine about modern popular understandings of the Vikings. Mostly on this I was trying to avoid the academic voice-of-authority-debunking-errors approach in favour of asking 'how strong are the foundations of what we think we know?' historienet.dk/civilisation...

Did medieval people buy each other Christmas gifts? New Year's Day was the main gifting day, but little is known about everyday people's present giving. Our project on London's customs records has uncovered a wealth of affordable items imported around this time: gloves and hats to toys and rattles🧵

#Medieval Christmas shopping? Check out this fantastic research from my @chppc.bsky.social colleague @justincolson.bsky.social and team!

Medievalist friends! Applications are open until end of Feb for a fully-funded PhD in Arthurian Literature with the brilliant Louise D'Arcens @medievalafterlives.bsky.social and myself, based between Sydney (Australia) and Groningen (The Netherlands). Please share widely! tinyurl.com/f7su6urv

Booking is now open for Making Medieval Manuscripts! A practice-based course where we make ink, cut quills, illuminate, make pigments and bookbind, using #medieval techniques and materials. We also explore early medieval art. No experience necessary! #bookhistory ies.sas.ac.uk/study-traini...

Unfortunately the HE 2025 ballot failed at 39% turnout. I have written about why and about what desperately needs to change in UCU's national structures off the back of this result. Some HEC members need to chi up and understand their role in all this, and how disconnected they are from members.

Want to use archaeology in your local history research? In my new @ihr.bsky.social 'Discovery' short course (29 April-1 May 2026) you will learn where to locate and how to use records of surveys, excavations and finds in your area. Plus a visit to the @antiquaries.bsky.social library and...

I'm really delighted to say that the three sessions that a group of us have proposed for Leeds IMC 2026 in celebration of Prof Edward James and his many contributions not just to the history and archaeology of the early Middle Ages but also to the academic study of fantasy and sf have been accepted!

Want to start the new year by learning new things? In January 2026 Anna Somfai will teach an online course on medieval philosophical and scientific manuscripts. More information here 👇 @warburginstitute.bsky.social @ies-sas.bsky.social #MedievalSky please reskeet! ies.sas.ac.uk/news-events/...

Good grief, my unassuming little piece about mead has been picked up by The Independent (www.independent.co.uk/life-style/f...) and The Times (www.thetimes.com/uk/history/a...), which is gratifying.

I've written about mead and its popular perception for The Conversation. theconversation.com/the-truth-ab... Mildly concerned that by pointing out that the Vikings (probably) didn't drink (much) mead, I will have annoyed all the re-enactors, many of whom have swords oh dear.

I've written about mead and its popular perception for The Conversation. theconversation.com/the-truth-ab... Mildly concerned that by pointing out that the Vikings (probably) didn't drink (much) mead, I will have annoyed all the re-enactors, many of whom have swords oh dear.

This Wednesday (5/11/25) 17.30 UTC, we're delighted to welcome Dr Peter Jones (Plymouth), who will be speaking on William Morris's travel in Iceland. Free to attend in person in the IHR or online, but please register in advance. Details, abstract and registration: www.history.ac.uk/news-events/...

Just back from a little holiday in unwontedly sunny Pembrokeshire. Pentre Ifan looking so perfect here that even the inadequacies of my cheap phone camera don't detract!

A fabulous looking new book from Tonicha Upham exploring all the Arabic and Persian evidence on Rus burials and sacrifices, complete with translations! #medievalsky #vikings www.cambridge.org/core/element...

A piece in The Conversation, contextualising our results from the Bedale hoard theconversation.com/vikings-were... @unioxarchaeology.bsky.social @yorkmuseumstrust.bsky.social @bgs.ac.uk

Anglo-Saxons with West African roots: DNA analysis of 7th century burials reported in @antiquity.ac.uk today reveals long-distance connections reached across continents and cultures. Read about it @science.org:

Not too late to sign up for this excellent seminar on Wednesday! And we are very happy to welcome our wonderful speaker, @maggiepavleszek.bsky.social, to Bluesky. Come and hear all about her work!

For our next seminar, Maggie Pavleszek (York) will be speaking on '"Resolved into ashes": Norse Medievalism and Cremation in C19th Britain'. Weds 30/04, 17.30 GMT (online only). Free but please register to attend. Further details, abstract and registration at: www.history.ac.uk/events/resol...

And obviously, this is corrosive: it's not only friends and colleagues at Cardiff, it's - at this point - half of every contact, collaborator, people you know from conferences, library shelves, catalogues, a cuppa or a meeting. Friends. A whole sector of the economy being trashed in real time.

Wonderful to be able to welcome @themamoconf.bsky.social to Bluesky! MAMO London is coming up 24-26 June 2025 and the programme and details of how to register are at: themamo.org

For our next seminar, @craighambling.bsky.social will be speaking on 'How Real is Too Real? Public History and the Interpretation of Medieval Martial Arts'. Weds 12/03, 17.30 GMT in person at @ihr.bsky.social and online. Further details and registration at: www.history.ac.uk/events/how-r...

Attention, #UCU members in HE! We are bringing this motion to defend jobs and call off a ballot for IA over last years' pay to this Wednesday's emergency HEC. We will keep it open as long as we can but do not delay - sign and share today! 👇👇👇

Do you have a proposal for an innovative new seminar to join the IHR Research Seminar programme? We are looking for 3 fresh seminar series to launch in 2025-26. Applications are open now - deadline of 31 March. Full details of what we are looking for and how to apply here:

An exciting find by Duncan Wright and my colleague Ollie Creighton! news.exeter.ac.uk/faculty-of-h...

Just out: I'm interviewed here by Metal Hammer alongside Einar Selvik from Wardruna and JB Christofferson from Grand Magus about heavy metal's love affair with the Vikings. This was great fun to do! www.loudersound.com/features/why...

Really looking forward to @mareganlefay.bsky.social at the @ihrmedievalism.bsky.social next week. Still only just coping with writing 2025 as the date, though.

I'd never realised that these were the Lewis chessmen I wanted until this evening. At the rather wonderful Longleat Festival of Light.

Hwæt! For our next seminar Ian Felce (independent researcher) will speak on 'What? Beowulf and William Morris’s New Old English'. In-person at @ihr.bsky.social and online, 17.30 UTC, Weds 11/12/24. Free to attend and all welcome, but please register in advance at: www.history.ac.uk/events/what-...

Hello and welcome to all our new followers! We are a seminar group dedicated to discussion of the construction, use and appropriation of the Middle Ages in the post-medieval period. We meet on an approximately monthly basis during term times in-person at the University of London and online.

@tyguson.bsky.social's work is wonderful and this will be a great treat for those lucky enough to be there.

Now officially out next Thursday... #medievalsky

If you're new to #Bluesky and looking to develop your follower list, then the #StarterPacks have you covered. Search for what you're interested in - eg, 'Political Science' or 'Gender Studies' - then select a list that looks interesting & "Follow All". Easy! blueskydirectory.com/starter-pack...

Windswept Hove beach with the West Pier looking dramatic.

We made a Starter Pack of Centres (sorry, US followers) for Medieval Studies in the UK and beyond. Do let us know if you’d like to be added … go.bsky.app/PAQh2go

I've had a go at putting together a Medievalism starter pack - if you'd like to be added (or removed!), please do let me know :)

Summer Schools at the Institute of English Studies! Including palaeography and manuscript studies. Senate House, London 9- 13 June 2025 Deadline for submission/application: 25 May All info www.rensoc.org.uk/event/ies-su...

'Sector leaders expected more than 100 of the UK’s 140-odd universities to be making redundancies by the start of 2025, in what has been described as a “cataclysmic” situation where “everything is on the table”.'

There’s still time to sign up for our seminar exploring archival research in the heritage sector tomorrow (20th Nov). All info & sign up link below 👇 We’re so excited to partner with Oxford Heritage Partnerships for this event as part of the Heritage Pathway series @torchoxford2013.bsky.social

Interested in the #Gjellestad #Viking ship discovered a few years ago? Read all about its context in this special issue of the journal Viking. journals.uio.no/viking/issue...

I've begun a starter pack for people working in and/or talking about ancient epigraphy/inscriptions. Let me know if I've missed you! go.bsky.app/PmuQYDH

Please share with early career scholars working on the early medieval period who may be interested in spending a month in Rome in the academic year 2025-2026

Celebrated historian and broadcaster David Olusoga will deliver the inaugural National Humanities Lecture! The first of its kind, the lecture will make the case for the humanities and explore how new ideas are emerging. Find out more and book: www.sas.ac.uk/news-events/...

Early career and student Norsists, vikingologists, medievalists, archaeologists - hey, even if you're doing later literature that thinks about early Nordic stuff - come submit to this conference! It's always a delight, and this year's theme rules! #medievalsky

This is an astonishing object, evidence for early ninth century Mercian interests, ambitions and connections. It's been suggested it was placed on an image screen; there's really nothing else like it. It's known as the 'Lechmere stone' & is in private ownership. Images from @AS_Corpus. #medievalsky

So here's a starter pack for languages, literatures, cultures and societies, very broadly defined. If you'd like to be added or removed, comment below or send a message go.bsky.app/TdEXaP2

Exciting PhD opportunities for ancient and medieval studies in the field of medical humanities here! #medievalsky #skystorians www.ucy.ac.cy/storypharm/v...

We've been sitting on this one for a bit, so very thrilled to see our Great Viking Survey out in the wild today. 🌊 Find it at vikingsurvey.org, and please do share far and wide - anyone is welcome to take part!