Medieval England was never an "essentially homogenous country, with little diversity", and a certain anti-immigrant twitter thread is an example of why we need to expand definitions of "diversity" when thinking about the medieval past before it's coopted to exclude people in present. #medievalsky

I've started a 'Sword or Battle Hammer' savings jar to either buy a functional sword or a battle hammer. I feel as if this is taking me one step closer to becoming an actual medievalist.

I confess I don’t understand the “dearth of sources is why it was the Dark Ages” argument. Where was the lack? Certainly not in Byzantium, or anywhere with Orthodox Christians for that matter. Certainly not in Romance. Arabic. Slavonic. Norse. Archaeology exists. What am I missing here? Saxon shit?

Looks like I will finish the semester with an A average. Not bad considering I bawled my eyes out in the second week of the semester because I realized I had bitten off far too much and feared I would crash and burn.

What is the point of striking it your employer will just force you and your co-workers back to work? Canadians should be disgusted and worried at this violation of the collective bargaining process. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Congratulations to Campbell Dowler for the research, writing and oral defense of your honours essay: Ekphrasis and Chivalry in Middle English Literature!

Has anyone taken the IES Introduction to Latin Palaeography short course online? I need a refresher and am trying to decide if that’s the best option. #medievalsky

Check out this awesome in person and virtual (Zoom) medieval conference that is hosted by @uvic-medi.bsky.social.

Testing BlueSky’s capacity for historical threads! A thread about my recent paper on Ibn Fadlan, (not) the Vikings, & 10th c. Eurasian trade & diplomacy. Read if you like medieval history, Middle Eastern history, Iranian history, numismatics, economic history, & investigative historiography! 1/?

As of 35 minutes ago, my semester has come to a close. I've survived.

Dear medievalist and library Bluesky ☀️ Can someone help me get a good quality photo or scan of the photographic facsimile of the Utrecht Psalter, specifically fol. 1v, published in 1875 by Spencer, Sawyer, Bird&Co? (this is for my upcoming book 🙈) #medievalsky #librarysky

Archaeology work on Notre Dame Cathedral during the restoration process (16 inches beneath the 900 year old floor) have lead to some amazing discoveries. 13th-century rood screen, fragments of limestone statues, iron clamps, pillars connected by long beams to distribute weight, and more.

I just sent the first article I will publish to my prof to give it a once over. This is a building he is familiar with... and deals with a field he specializes in... so now I get to spend the day freaking out over all the errors he will spot. It's 500 words, and it is not academic, but it is a start

Not as epic as last year's photo, but still pretty good, lol.

Laptop: We need to update Firefox. Me: Sure, I can afford to lose my 30+ tabs. Laptop: Good news, Firefox is updated, bad news I can't run Firefox because of a bad download, and I won't let you re-install it...

My program @uvic-medi.bsky.social has finally made it onto Bluesky! #MedievalSky

If you are interested in Old English, Old Norse and Viking Studies at MA level, please come and join us tomorrow at 7pm GMT for a virtual information event. More here: www.nottingham.ac.uk/english/pros...

Come in person or on Zoom on Feb 1st, 2025 to learn about Medieval Utopias from all across the medieval world! The conference is hosted by the University of Victoria's Medieval Studies program in Victoria, BC, Canada.

After going full tilt for weeks it feels soo odd not to have to do anything but go to class. I... I don't know what to do with myself, lol.

Yup. Just scheduled the email asking everyone whose email I have for a donation. Giving Tuesday is the great nonprofit battle royale. Many nonprofits have staff dedicated to getting donations, our donor management team is a 13 year old cat named Rupert. He’s no use at all. givebutter.com/uA8ubg

The final exam for my one class is done. I was a little cheeky with a couple answers, but it is done. My term essay for my other course is done. I think it's shit, but struggled with it and my head hurts, so I'm going to submit and let the dice fall where they fall. Only 1 final exam left to go.

Hey kids! Feel like contributing to ongoing research while also spending a couple of minutes thinking about Vikings for a change? How about you fill out the GREAT VIKING SURVEY? nettskjema.no/a/viking#/pa... #MedievalSky

Out of the many ways I would like to start my morning... falling out of a bus ranks very low. I'm ok. My laptop is ok. My glasses are ok. Though my pride is hurt.

At a conference last weekend James Tauber announced the new Digital Tolkien Linked Open Data project with its nascent website here: lod.digitaltolkien.com I am truly looking forward to the possibilities this project has for academia and fandom, and in fields beyond Tolkien studies.

This promises to be a fab pair of hybrid lectures next Tuesday - @3dgroovanstones.bsky.social on reconstructing the Govan Stones from 3D imagery, and @neilmcguigan.bsky.social on finding the early medieval Kingdom of Strathclyde and charting its demise. Well worth signing up for. #MedievalSky

1/Verse epitaph of Elias, abbot of San Nicola and archbishop of Bari He is compared to Solomon for the praise of his wisdom and building and to the prophet Elijah for his pious life. He died in 1105 and was buried in a Roman sarcophagus. #EpigraphyTuesday #MedievalSky #Spolia #Puglia

This is a few years old, and I did get some annoyed commentary from white supremacists, so I am happy to share it again now uk.news.yahoo.com/vikings-were... #vikingsky #medievalsky

I am reaching out in an act of desperation to see if anyone knows of a source, primary or secondary, that shows the Roman elite taking slave attendants with them out in public and to public events. #ancientbluesky #classicsbluesky

Best one yet! Lmao!

The Middle Ages were not all grey and drab. People loved colour, and would use it to the fullest extent they could.

Reposting this for all the new folk. The episode is less than 30 minutes and is well worth a listen.

⚠️ Pontypridd has been hit by devastating floods and our wonderful independent bookshop, Storyville Books, has seen much of its stock destroyed. If you’re able to buy a book from them, this would go such a long way to help support them rebuild in the aftermath. 👉 uk.bookshop.org/shop/Storyvi...

That the Ottonians, Carolingians, and Byzantines, all claimed to be the inheriters of Rome's power, and both the Carolingians and Ottonians used art and architecture in an attempt to discredit the Byzantines.

I am utterly in love with this song. It is soo beautiful, and in my highly biased opinion, much better than the original: www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHsp...

I am dragging my tired and worn out brain kicking and screaming through a field of thorn covered brambles to get this paper done.

My program's professor was recently on a podcast talking about post secondary education, and how both the humanities and the sciences need to have more interaction. The Venerable Dr. Reed is a treasure to our program and I hope you will listen to what he has to say: open.spotify.com/episode/6kA9...

I am reaching out to see if anyone on #medievalsky would be interested, or know someone who would be interested, in leading an online medieval illumination workshop for a bunch of students this coming April or sometime next fall?

I might *actually* finish this essay when I want to rather than leaving it to the last minute. Wow.... For context, I don't like the topic I chose and I am battling my brain's non-interest in it.

Savlete! This is a reminder, one that I will be posting about often, about the Medieval Conference happening in Victoria, British Columbia, on Feb 1st, 2025. It's hosted by the University of Victoria's Medieval Studies program, and the theme this year is Medieval Utopias. www.uvic.ca/humanities/m...

We are in the middle of a bomb cyclone... it has been very cold (for here), blistery, and windy.... Last nights drive home from coding club was interesting to say the least.

Fuck... it's cold enough outside for me to consider wearing actual shoes instead of sandals...

So #Medievalsky, what are the architectural differences between the Romanesque and Gothic revivals in relation to secular buildings?

This sounds like an amazing book! I've put it on my list for when I eventually have time and brain power to recreationally read.

It is my hope that the study of medieval history moves away from being Eurocentric to a more global perspective. It really does the field no favours to keep inside an European bubble.

I was all excited thinking I finished the last abstract and that I could just put all my attention next week into the essay and the week after into studying for a final exam... until... I found another abstract in the syllabus that has yet to be uploaded to the Brightspace page... fuck!

"this is fine" British Library Manuscript - royal ms 20 a ii f3r

Time to bang off the final abstract for my Greek and Roman Studies class so I can move to the essay. I'm kinda pissed the absolute max word count for the essay is 2000 words... The end of this semester is barreling down.