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Alex Harvey

@alexharvv.bsky.social
1.5K followers 497 following 3.3K posts

Best-selling author | artist | write and teach #LateAntiquity, #EarlyMedieval, #Hungarians + #Vikings Views my own. Appears on BBC radio. NORSE MYTHOLOGY COLOURING BOOK: www.amberley-books.com/coming-soon/…

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Alex Harvey @alexharvv.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
NEW BOOK ALERT 🗣️🗣️🗣️🚨📢🎺 Releasing on the 15th of November this year, I am very happy to reveal the cover for something slightly different: a colouring book all about Norse mythology THE VIKING WORLD: A COLOURING BOOK, to be published via Amberley Publishing for £15.99 (or £14.39 via the below link)
The front cover of the Viking World
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Alex Harvey @alexharvv.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
#Traitors can’t take Maya Jama seriously when she’s wandering around wearing an Irish peat bog over her shoulders
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Dustin A. Chacón @lingdustin.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
I've heard people make claims that AI would lead to a new Renaissance, but I didn't imagine it'd happen like this:
Screenshot of a Tweet from Pope Leo XIV. It reads: 

"In this era of artificial intelligence, it is becoming urgen to distinguish human art from what machines produce. There is an ontological difference, even before an aesthetic one, between art and what a machine can generate through statistical calculation based on millions of images created by others. Algorithms lack the spark of humanity. For this reason, the Church wishes to renew an alliance with artists and cultural institutions to safeguard our humanity."
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Charlie Warzel @cwarzel.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
For a long time I've wanted a sense of how trump has or hasn't interacted with chatbots (we know he posts a lot of slop sure). And this TIME anecdote about Grok arguably leading Trump into war is just extremely bracing
Since returning to office, Trump has marveled at AI’s capabilities. He is increasingly in thrall to the tech executives courting him. In December 2025, Elon Musk returned to the Oval Office for a clandestine meeting. Trump spent hours asking Grok, Musk’s AI chatbot, questions about his presidency and legacy, according to an official present. At the time, Trump was ordering missile strikes against Venezuelan boats he alleged were smuggling drugs into the U.S. He asked Grok how Venezuelans would react if the U.S. captured Maduro. According to the official present, the chatbot responded that Maduro was a repressive and deeply unpopular dictator and that many Venezuelans would likely celebrate his downfall. After Trump ordered the mission to seize Maduro, the following month, celebrations broke out in the streets. Trump, according to officials, came away thinking Grok was ingenious.
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Clare Downham @downham.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
#booksky #skystorians advice please? Currently going through proofs & publication is on the horizon what are the best ways to promote your work? Personally I don't like being a centre of attention or lecturing to a crowd of strangers (unless they are students, that's different) what worked for you?
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Alex Harvey @alexharvv.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
almost a month away!
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Alex Harvey @alexharvv.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
guide to world domination: 1. defund all major humanities departments 2. fund masses of public and priv money into AI 3. ensure said machines are controlled by the 1% 4. spread bollocks across the internet with future generations incapable of critical thinking 5. do whatever you like
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Alex Harvey @alexharvv.bsky.social · 30/11/2025
How it feels knowing I wrote and researched all of this without using any AI or LLMs whatsoever
Homer in bed
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Michelle Franklin│Legends and Lectures @michellefranklin.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Only AI tech bros will tell you, "AI is inevitable!" "Death of the author" "You can't live without AI!" Fucking nonsense. It's like telling someone who hates smoking, "You won't be able to live without cigarettes!" If you don't want to write, don't be an author.
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Alex Harvey @alexharvv.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Was asked to sign this marvellous drawing today at a Historical Association lecture, wherein I talked about early viking activity to ages 7 to 700! One of my favourite lectures ever, pitching to such diverse ages in the same room, and certainly the best thing I’ve ever signed
A signed notebook drawing of a longship filled with the Avengers
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Alex Harvey @alexharvv.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Was asked to sign this marvellous drawing today at a Historical Association lecture, wherein I talked about early viking activity to ages 7 to 700! One of my favourite lectures ever, pitching to such diverse ages in the same room, and certainly the best thing I’ve ever signed
A signed notebook drawing of a longship filled with the Avengers
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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Pope Innocent III,who died in 1216, spoke of a certain kind of older man, who is "easily provoked", "will believe anything and question nothing", is "stingy and greedy" and "praises the good old days and hates the present." Reform UK's voter base has been knocking around for a very long time.
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Alex Harvey @alexharvv.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Happy to see Peep Show and The Thick Of It represented but no love for the German TV show Dark (2017-2020) is a shame And if you can count cancelled shows, Dennis Kelly and Marc Munden's Utopia (2013-2014) was ahead of its time. Masterpiece
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Alex Harvey @alexharvv.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Because I started writing books about 4 years ago, and lecturing before even that, some organisations still use my original bio Which means I have been 'a student at the University of York studying Anglo-Scandinavian interactions' for about 5 years now
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Kay Beecraft @kaybeecraft.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Hiya #Yorkshire friends! Just learned of a proposed data centre to be built in Selby. Ethics of AI aside, this would be massively detrimental to our local flora & fauna, water reserves (which already has it's own issues), and noise pollution. Please join me in signing the petition calling for a ban.
petition.parliament.uk
Petition: Ban the construction of new AI data centres
We call on the Government to implement an immediate ban on the construction of any new AI data centres, including approved ones, to protect our people, wildlife, water resources, and environment from ...
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Alex Harvey @alexharvv.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
www.youtube.com/watch?v=CL1E... Christmas is saved
youtube.com
WERWULF - Official Trailer 2 [HD] - Only In Theaters This Christmas
YouTube video by Focus Features
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Clare Downham @downham.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Why do people struggle so hard to acquire and display wealth so that shallow people will like them? Having enough to get by, to be able give to be kind, and to afford to meet friends and have a hobby is all you need for a truly rich life.
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Alex Harvey @alexharvv.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
I am currently really (really) bruised after moshing in the pit at a recent punk gig Which means it is once again time to share my article about how this is the best way to research early medieval warfare; www.epoch-magazine.com/post/what-ar...
epoch-magazine.com
What Are A Few More Words? Historical parallels where you least expect them
I have a friend who makes replicas of Early Medieval jewellery. Using authentic techniques, he forges and sells his wares at fairs up and...
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Alex Harvey @alexharvv.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
As I said
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Alex Harvey @alexharvv.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
I highly doubt Eggers - the well-researched purveyor of historically authentic dialogue - meant 6-11th c. Old English when interviewed about this. Similar situation happened with Werwulf (2026) and he had to correct the press release
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Alex Harvey @alexharvv.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
I highly doubt Eggers - the well-researched purveyor of historically authentic dialogue - meant 6-11th c. Old English when interviewed about this. Similar situation happened with Werwulf (2026) and he had to correct the press release
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toc13.bsky.social @toc13.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Mosh pit as a modern day shield wall - complete with bodily fluids dripping on you. A great piece on how the edges of a thing may change over the time it lives in but at its core, it remains the same
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Alex Harvey @alexharvv.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
I am currently really (really) bruised after moshing in the pit at a recent punk gig Which means it is once again time to share my article about how this is the best way to research early medieval warfare; www.epoch-magazine.com/post/what-ar...
epoch-magazine.com
What Are A Few More Words? Historical parallels where you least expect them
I have a friend who makes replicas of Early Medieval jewellery. Using authentic techniques, he forges and sells his wares at fairs up and...
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Alex Harvey @alexharvv.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Wish doctor who was still on
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Alex Harvey @alexharvv.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Alaric The Goth: An Outsider’s History of the Fall of Rome (2020, repr. 2021) by Douglas Boin Delicately yet boldly written, Boin brings the Goths into popular consciousness through this astute and very scholarly (yet accessible) anti-Gibbon account of 378 - 455 CE. Really enjoyed this
Alaric The Goth next to a coffee cup
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Mateusz Fafinski @calthalas.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
"In some places Rome does not fall at all. In others, such as Italy, there are multiple, sometimes repeated farewell parties, where the guests do not want to leave and the host does not switch the music off." How do we think about the Fall of Rome today? www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
cambridge.org
Towards and beyond the ‘Fall’: rethinking Rome’s end | The Journal of Roman Studies | Cambridge Core
Towards and beyond the ‘Fall’: rethinking Rome’s end
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Alex Harvey @alexharvv.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Practiced some undergrad level toponymic exercises in Old English, Old Welsh, and Old Norse today with my Year 7 pupils Amazingly they not only all understood it, but excelled at it, and asked for extension tasks. Marvellous to see Budding early medievalists in the making...
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Paul @pauljustpaul.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Alex Harvey
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Alex Harvey @alexharvv.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Need to come up with a costume based on a character whose name begins with A So far I have on my shortlist: - Arthur (the aardvark) - King Arthur from Monty Python - Andrew 1 or 2 from Hot Fuzz - Alcuin of York - Annoying Orange Not thrilled with any of my options
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Buckinghamshire Archives @bucksarchives.bsky.social · 01/04/2025
Production will be slow today as once again, Shai-Hulud, the Old Man of the Desert, Great Sandworm of Arrakis, is in the strong room.
A member of the archive team standing by the open door of one of the strongrooms. Inside, the gaping maw of a sandworm leers menacingly. Blessed be the coming and going of Him.
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Francesca Tinti @francescatinti.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
At long last, my article on Languages, Identities and Communication in the Age of Bede has come out in the EHR. And it is open access! academic.oup.com/ehr/advance-...
academic.oup.com
Languages, Identities and Communication in the Age of Bede*
Abstract. This article seeks to address the underexplored role of language as a marker of identity in the early medieval period by focusing on England in t
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Alex Harvey @alexharvv.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
My new colouring book ‘may wipe out humanity in 10 years’ This is why it absolutely vital that you buy it so I can fund research into stopping it: www.amberley-books.com/coming-soon/...
amberley-books.com
The Viking World: A Colouring Book
Illustrator and Viking historian Alex Harvey presents a Viking colouring book that uses a selection of historically (and mythologically) accurate annotated outlines for creative colouring.
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Alex Harvey @alexharvv.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Delighted to be kicking off some 1400 year anniversary talks for the conversion of Deira (Yorkshire) in Pocklington on the 30th October For £5 you get to enjoy a talk about what Yorkshire was like before Christianity! www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/little-kin... + you’ll be supporting a small museum
eventbrite.co.uk
Little Kingdoms of Yorkshire
Renowned author, Alex Harvey, is giving a talk entitled 'Little Kingdoms of Yorkshire: Post-Roman Pocklington & Beyond
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Alex Harvey @alexharvv.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
My new colouring book ‘may wipe out humanity in 10 years’ This is why it absolutely vital that you buy it so I can fund research into stopping it: www.amberley-books.com/coming-soon/...
amberley-books.com
The Viking World: A Colouring Book
Illustrator and Viking historian Alex Harvey presents a Viking colouring book that uses a selection of historically (and mythologically) accurate annotated outlines for creative colouring.
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Jonathan Ladd @jonathanmladd.com · 11/09/2026
And I would endorse this. talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/monit...
Clearly, we need some oversight and regulation. The present situation is a bit like if instead of having a Manhattan Project, we just subcontracted it out to a few private companies and set up a prize of a trillion dollars for who could build a nuke first, without any safety rules and with a general agreement that no one in the government was allowed to see what any of these guys were doing, what safety precautions they were taking, or anything else … because they’re private businesses. It can’t be the way. But at the moment it does seem to be the way. And the trillion dollar prize means that speed to get there is inevitably the overriding priority.
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Alex Harvey @alexharvv.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
I have a strong inkling that the AI doomerism being circulated in the media (ex-AI corpos saying 'it will kill us all!!!') is just a new version of AI glazing and an attempt at ensuring everyone invests in developing AI, except this time the impetus is to avert rather than to leverage
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Alex Harvey @alexharvv.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
nice new song for the times from my favourite Glaswegian band SOAPBOX: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ha7D...
youtube.com
SOAPBOX - DRAFTED
YouTube video by SOAPBOX
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More English Reservoirs @more-reservoirs.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Petition: Fund new reservoirs to increase future water supplies The Government estimates 5 billion litres more water per day will be needed by 2050. Substantial additional water storage capacity will be needed to meet this challenge. petition.parliament.uk/petitions/77...
petition.parliament.uk
Petition: Fund new reservoirs to increase future water supplies
England faces growing pressure on its water supplies due to factors like population growth, climate change and rising demand. The Government estimates 5 billion litres more water per day will be neede...
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Mohamed Qassiti @mqassiti.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
We had a chat on this topic here with @alexharvv.bsky.social @rhigarthjones.bsky.social and came to ask if anyone has worked on medievalisms in sport clubs names. Good oppurtunity to try a revival of the discussion, maybe? bsky.app/profile/alex...
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Cihan Şimşek @cihantarih.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
The footnotes are even more striking: Ormos gives anecdotes about how Zimonyi "got around" problems that could have threatened his PhD. Sadly, outsiders to the field can easily be misled by corrupt scholarship hidden behind unfamiliar names, terms, and concepts.
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Cihan Şimşek @cihantarih.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
www.academia.edu/53329960/The... by István Ormos, probably one of the most prominent living Hungarian Arabic philologist. He writes that Zimonyi does not know Arabic well enough for this kind of work, and that his "textual analyses" are largely built on others' work and full of mistakes.
academia.edu
The Early Magyars in the Jayhani tradition. Reflections on István Zimonyi's book "Muslim sources on rhe Magyars". Second, revised edition. Budapest 2021..
The present paper is a detailed review of István Zimonyi's book.
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Dr. Jeroen W.P. Wijnendaele @drdragases.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Porto Torres initially seemed a bit of a disappointment on my journey. This was the most important ancient city in northern Sardinia, and the only one of direct Roman foundation ('Turris Libisonis'). The modern comune still hosts one of the most important archaeological parks of the island.
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Protect the Wild @protectthewild.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Planning documents state that both water voles and otters have been sighted in recent years less than a kilometre from the planned Viridor/Rivington AI data centre at Avonmouth, Bristol.
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HOPE not hate @hopenothate.org.uk · 12/09/2026
Reform UK have just received £72million from just two men. Just 6 months ago we revealed Ben Delo’s secretive crypto political base hosting ‘anti-woke’ and rightwing activists in the heart of Westminster. Read more here: investigations.hopenothate.org.uk/the-sanctuary/
investigations.hopenothate.org.uk
The Sanctuary | HOPE not hate
Funded by a crypto billionaire, this Westminster base supports some of the most controversial figures in politics — including Restore Britain
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Alex Harvey @alexharvv.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
I promise every single American $10,000,000 dollars each if they don't vote Trump in
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Charles West @pseudo-isidore.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Just goes to show, study what you are good at and enjoy...
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Trevor Wiley @mearcsteppende.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Want to learn how early medieval people living on the coast in Scotland hunted seals and seabirds? Or how collecting sea snails on the beach was part of new Christian practice? You should check out my new article in Water History! link.springer.com/article/10.1... #medievalsky
link.springer.com
Wild animals, small practices, and the formation of an early medieval coastal landscape on the Firth of Forth - Water History
The large-scale landscape changes that occurred in northern Britain from roughly 400–800 C.E. were built on a vast array of smaller shifting practices which reflected the realities of local environmen...
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Alex Harvey @alexharvv.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Tempted to see the B. Tapestry, but like many of my northern colleagues, put off by the expense of even going down to London in the first place I know its not the BM's fault but there's something to be said about the limitations of the country's national museum being in its most unaffordable city
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Mark Chadbourn @chadbourn.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
This is the largest donation in British political history.
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Alex Harvey @alexharvv.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Delighted to be teaching ks3 about medieval Africa. Such a rich subject
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