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Dr Bryony Coombs

@bryonycoombs.bsky.social
8.7K followers 2.4K following 914 posts

Art Historian ¶ Medieval & Early Modern PhD, FSA Scot, FRHistS ¶ Edinburgh Uni writing about Scottish MSS ¶ Visual Arts and the Auld Alliance (EUP, 2024) ¶ Anselm Adornes (Brepols, 2026) edinburgh.academia.edu/BryonyCoombs bryonycoombs.com

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Reposted by Dr Bryony Coombs
Melissa Terras @melissaterras.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
I haven’t said anything about the strikes yet (I am so ANGRY but despite all my rage I’m still just a rat in a cage etc etc). So it can’t be me the carefully worded HR email is about, telling us all to be nice to everyone (implying SMT?) including on socials, on threat of disciplinary action?
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Dr Bryony Coombs @bryonycoombs.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DTB276/d...
jobs.ac.uk
Directorship of the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology and Professorship of Material Culture at University of Cambridge
Explore an exciting academic career as a Directorship of the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology and Professorship of Material Culture. Don't miss out on other academic jobs. Click to apply and exp...
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Reposted by Dr Bryony Coombs
Dr Sam Leggett @samleggs22.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
This project is such a fantastic collaboration between @edincollegeofart.bsky.social @hcaatedinburgh.bsky.social @edinburgharchaeo.bsky.social & the University library collections teams! We are all learning so much from each other! 📖 📜 ✏️ 🧪🧬🔬🐑🐐🐄🐂 #heritagescience
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Tuija Ainonen @tainonen.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Next 3 days will be on From Skin to Script workshop with @crasshlive.bsky.social Starting with dehairing soaked skins #Skin2Script #medievalMSS
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Scottish Historical Review @scottishhistreview.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Registration is required: In-person: lnkd.in/dZQGpT9c Online: lnkd.in/deCyrYnm
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Reposted by Dr Bryony Coombs
Kirsten Lloyd @klloyd.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
This was the largest picket I have ever seen at Edinburgh College of Art (& I’ve been at a fair few). Massive support from students as we fight against compulsory redundancies. @ucuedinburgh.bsky.social
large group of people stand outside sandstone buildings holding UCU placards
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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
'We thought this time would be different – it hasn't been. Perhaps we need to accept an uncomfortable reality: higher education simply isn't high enough up the government's political priority list.'
wonkhe.com
If universities aren’t a priority, at least give them certainty
With Labour Party conference underway and universities still well down the queue, Ian Turgoose argues the sector’s most realistic ask is certainty about what government wants it to look like
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Reposted by Dr Bryony Coombs
Agenda des médiévistes @rmblf.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Offre d’emploi – Professor of the History of Art, University of Oxford rmblf.be/2026/09/28/o...
rmblf.be
Offre d’emploi – Professor of the History of Art, University of Oxford
Professor of the History of Art.University of Oxford in association with Trinity College. We are seeking applications for the Professorship of the History of Art, available from 1 October 2027. Thi…
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Dr Bryony Coombs @bryonycoombs.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
The cognitive dissonance of giving up my wkend to tell 100s of parents & prospective students how truly ✨amazing our university is [& I do mean this, since I have completed 3 degrees there & worked there 7 years] & yet tomorrow I strike because of the heartbreaking decisions that are being made..💔💔💔
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Josh Pizzuto-Pomaco @joshpizpom.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
USPUN: My column for @heraldpols.bsky.social today... The Education and Gaelic Committee must call Peter Mathieson to testify amid programme closures at Edinburgh Uni. @heraldscotland.bsky.social heraldscotland.com/news/26582159.msps-must-call-edinburgh-university-chiefs-testify-programme-cuts/
heraldscotland.com
Why MSPs must call Edinburgh University chiefs to testify about programme cuts
Academics, students and alumni across the UK have reacted with horror to the news that 90 programmes will no longer be taught in the Athens of the…
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Dr Bryony Coombs @bryonycoombs.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Busy sampling day with @samleggs22.bsky.social for the David Berry Fellowship project 'Painted Skin'; initial sampling for proteomics and DNA testing. With the v careful oversight & collaboration of the CRC conservation team. Discussion of tacit knowledge, interdisciplinary knowledge exchange &...
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Dr Bryony Coombs @bryonycoombs.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Small wail of despair: the boiler is broken and what I really could do without in week one of the semester, and given the general state of everything currently, is having to boil water in a large pan to wash my hair...🤦‍♂️🫠
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Josh Pizzuto-Pomaco @joshpizpom.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
EXC: 90 programmes in Edinburgh University's College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences are to be closed. The casualties, which include 48 language and literature programmes, will be 'taught out', w/ no admissions after 2027. @heraldscotland.bsky.social www.heraldscotland.com/news/2655839...
heraldscotland.com
Ninety programmes to close at leading university as savings plan takes shape
According to the document, a total of 90 programmes will be “taught out” over the next several years, including 48 in the School of Language.
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Dr Bryony Coombs @bryonycoombs.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
'Does an AI system without the human capacity for conscious self-reflection, empathy or moral intelligence become superhuman merely by being a faster problem-solver? Aren’t we more than that? and doesn’t granting the label “superhuman” to machines...end up obscuring www.noemamag.com/the-danger-o...
noemamag.com
The Danger Of Superhuman AI Is Not What You Think | NOEMA
The rhetoric over “superhuman” AI implicitly erases what’s most important about being human.
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Dr Bryony Coombs @bryonycoombs.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Today was busy! Day 1 of the University of Edinburgh's Welcome Week and as UG Director in HoA I have the honour of welcoming our new first years. It was a delight and I can't wait to get to know you all over the next few years! 😊 Onwards and upwards!
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Dr Karen Di Franco @archivist23.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
We have a new vacancy for a Lecturer at MA Curating and Collections, see the details in the ad: www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DSW984/l...
jobs.ac.uk
Lecturer MA Curating and Collections at University Of The Arts London
Apply now for the Lecturer MA Curating and Collections role on jobs.ac.uk - the leading job board for higher education jobs. View details.
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Reposted by Dr Bryony Coombs
CARAA Center @caraacenter.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
JOB : Directeur du Patrimoine F/H, musées d’Angers ➡️ www.emploipublic.fr/offre-emploi...
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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
'A survey of 500 employers finds that 81 per cent feel that the current number of people (or more) should go to university in order that we can meet future skills demands.'
wonkhe.com
Will a graduate jobs roadmap show us the right way?
A Universities UK report makes that case for supporting graduates into employment
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Dr Bryony Coombs @bryonycoombs.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
academicpositions.harvard.edu/postings/16672
academicpositions.harvard.edu
Tenure-Track or Tenured Professor in Netherlandish Art
The Department of History of Art and Architecture seeks to appoint a tenure-track or tenured professor in Netherlandish Art of the early modern period, with preference for candidates with expertise in...
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Dr Bryony Coombs @bryonycoombs.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DSU899/p...
jobs.ac.uk
Professor of the History of Art at University of Oxford
An opportunity for an academic position as a Professor of the History of Art is available, as advertised on jobs.ac.uk. Apply now and explore other academic job openings.
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Dr Bryony Coombs @bryonycoombs.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
jobs.chronicle.com/job/38032507...
jobs.chronicle.com
Assistant Professor of Early Modern European Art History (1300-1800) - University of Maryland, College Park job with University of Maryland | 38032507
Assistant Professor of Early Modern European Art History University of Maryland College Park Department of Art History and Archaeology   The Depart...
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Dr Bryony Coombs @bryonycoombs.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
hnanews.org/2027-2028-so...
hnanews.org
2027-2028 Solmsen Fellowship Institute for Research in the Humanities, UW–Madison - Historians of Netherlandish Art
Through the generous bequests of Friedrich and Lieselotte Solmsen, the Institute for Research in the Humanities at the University of Wisconsin–Madison has
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Reposted by Dr Bryony Coombs
UCC Library @ucclibrary.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
UCC Library invites you to "Recording the Past: The Annals of Inisfallen and the Making of Irish History" one day conference on 18 September. Explore the legacy of this remarkable medieval manuscript with expert speakers from UCC, Oxford and Edinburgh. libcal.ucc.ie/event/4589456
libcal.ucc.ie
Public Conference: Recording the Past: The Annals of Inisfallen and the Making of Irish History
Join us for a special conference to mark Recording the Past: The Annals of Inisfallen and the Making of Irish History exhibition. Conference Keynote: Richard Ovenden, Bodley’s...
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Dr Bryony Coombs @bryonycoombs.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Working out the structure of our three case studies for this project & I have come across @leoba.bsky.social amazing resource: VCEditor for making collation diagrams/ codex visualisations. I am so excited about this. It does everything you might want & more! Just such a fantastic MS resource! 📖
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Shannon McSheffrey @medievalmcsheff.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
JOB!! The Department of History at the University of Ottawa invites applications for a position in medieval and/or transregional history, 7th-16th centuries. French or English, bilingualism an asset. universityaffairs.ca/search-jobs/...
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Dr Bryony Coombs @bryonycoombs.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
👀 👇 @samleggs22.bsky.social
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Dr Bryony Coombs @bryonycoombs.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
👇 Brown University: Assistant Professor of Early Modern European Art and Architectural History in the World www.higheredjobs.com/faculty/deta...
higheredjobs.com
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Charlie Lynch @charlielynch.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
Let’s try again: I’d like to hear about new research from Scottish historians. Especially ECRs whose work may not get much attention. This is because I have a newspaper column where I publicise new work by Scottish historians! Tell me about your research!
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Reposted by Dr Bryony Coombs
c.c. o'hanlon @ccohanlon.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
“People are discovering that, as everything is already decided for you by a computer or algorithm, being able to make or own something physically is good. And it is very satisfying to repeat a task to perfection. It is meditative as a job...” – Eryn Lawley, bookbinder apprentice
theguardian.com
AI-proof? Younger workers desert the digital world for traditional crafts
In a disrupted job market people are turning to heritage crafts such as bookbinding, metalwork and boatbuilding
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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
'The report also spotlights the increasing dependence on fee-paying international students to cross-subsidise the tuition of Scottish undergraduates.' 'Universities Scotland said the analysis made clear that the current position was not sustainable.' 1/3
bbc.co.uk
Scotland's universities face 'bleak' future as £200m funding gap revealed
A new report paints a 'bleak' picture of falling income from Scottish students and an over-reliance on international tuition fees.
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Erika Gaffney @erikagaffney.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Congratulations to Sarah Joan Moran on the publication of her new book Unconventual Women in the Habsburg Low Countries, 1585–1794 Visual Culture at the Court Beguinages www.routledge.com/Unconventual...
The front cover of a book. The featured image is a soberly dressed woman wearing a white head covering, with her right hand resting on her left, both hands held in front of her. Her right forefinger is inserted into the pages of a small book with a black cover that she holds in her right hand.
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oishani @oishani.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Haha you’re so kind, Rachel. here you go: docs.google.com/document/d/1...
docs.google.com
Oishani Sengupta AI Use Policy
Many of you saw this on my instagram page and asked if you might use/adapt this. I’m making this available on public request. Please free to use for class, share with a friend, or cite if you see appr...
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Dr Bryony Coombs @bryonycoombs.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
This looks fantastic: 👇
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Dr Bryony Coombs @bryonycoombs.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
👀 www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Manuscript fragments hiding in plain sight shed light on medieval Guernsey’s literary life
Researchers say texts from 12th to 15th centuries ‘hint at a culture which has not even been imagined’
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Dr Bryony Coombs @bryonycoombs.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
The Auld Alliance alive and well in Lyon: www.connexionfrance.com/magazine/joi...
connexionfrance.com
Join the club: Royal Scottish Country Dance Society, Lyon Branch
Discover why Scottish country dancing is thriving in Lyon, where this club attracts mostly French members with its mix of rhythm, community and weekly classes
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Society of Antiquaries of Scotland @socantscot.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
CAPITAL FUNDRAISING APPEAL: Scotland’s heritage hub We have a unique opportunity to secure a new home, ensuring that our work reaches people today and creates a lasting legacy for generations to come. Every conversation sparked by sharing the video brings us closer: www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1cY...
youtube.com
Scotland's Heritage Hub Capital Fundraising Campaign
YouTube video by Society of Antiquaries of Scotland
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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
'Students from the most affluent households now account for nearly a third of all undergraduates in the UK, up from a quarter in 2021/22. Over the same period, the share of students from semi-routine working backgrounds...fell from 13 per cent to 9 per cent in 2024/25'.
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International Association for the Study of Scottish Literatures @iassl.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
The call for submissions and nominations for the 2026 Jack Medal is open until 30 November 2026. The award recognises the best article / book chapter on a subject related to Reception or Diaspora in Scottish Literatures (including Scots, Gaelic, English, and Latin). scotlit-iassl.org/awards/the-j...
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Dr Cath Feely @cathfeely.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Fellows of @royalhistsoc.org - check your emails to vote in Council elections!
Thank you for voting screen for Royal Historical Society council elections.
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Dr Alison Ray @liber-ray.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
I’m thrilled to be taking part in this year’s amazing @sims-mss.bsky.social mss online lecture series to share my work on the pecia system and university book production! 🤗📜🎉 www.library.upenn.edu/sims/event-s...
library.upenn.edu
The Pecia System and the Medieval University Book Trade, ca. 1200-1340
Alison Ray (Royal Irish Academy Library) explores how medieval manuscripts were mass-produced at universities in the thirteenth century at low cost for members of the academic milieu.
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Mairi Cowan @historianmairi.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Now in a proper issue @srsrensoc.bsky.social! Plenty of diplomatic tea on James IV in Scotland, Henry VII in England, voyages of John Cabot. Also, Scottish women's headdresses as the most beautiful in the world. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
Article tiltle: Tudor England and Stewart Scotland Through Spanish Eyes: A Complete Transcription and Translation of Pedro de Ayala's Letter of 1498 to King Ferdinand of Castile and Queen Isabella of Aragon
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Alec Finlay @alecfinlay.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
to walk with- out touching the earth is best done by looking 12.VIII.26
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Dr Bryony Coombs @bryonycoombs.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Having just written a chapter on the use of birds in medieval manuscripts: 'Speaking your Mind: Avian Articulation in Late Medieval Scottish Manuscripts' this feels timely... www.ed.ac.uk/news/birdson...
ed.ac.uk
Birdsong shows patterns similar to human language | News | The University of Edinburgh
The songs produced by birds share similarities with the structure of human language, a study shows.
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Dr Bryony Coombs @bryonycoombs.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... Skye Mountain Rescue Team doing amazing work...
bbc.co.uk
Skye Trail call outs 'like Whack-a-mole' as weather catches tourists off guard
A mountain rescue team leader has compared a flurry of call-outs over a 13-hour period to a pop-up game.
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Liesbeth Corens @onslies.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
"The claim is not that no university may ever reduce headcount. It is narrower and harder to answer: cutting teaching & research capacity, to close a deficit whose causes lie elsewhere, attacks the recovery rather than the disease." On Dundee, recognisable everywhere www.linkedin.com/pulse/staff-...
Here is what the redundancy narrative leaves out. Falling student numbers played a part, but a small one — international fee income accounts for perhaps £2 million of the early deficit. The Gillies Report found the university spent around £74 million on fixed assets across two years, including some £43 million on capital projects funded directly from cash reserves, without the surpluses to support it. These are decisions taken at the top. Not one is reversed by making a historian or a student-support officer redundant. The cuts do not touch the cause. They fall on the people furthest from it.
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Surgeons' Hall Museum @surgeonshall.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
We are looking for a Provenance Researcher to improve what the Museum knows about the Human Remains Collection. Full details on the role and how to apply can be found here: cezanneondemand.intervieweb.it/rcsed/jobs/p... Applications close 14th of September.
Dark blue background. There is a white Surgeons' Hall Museum logo to the right and Join the Team in caps to the left
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Dr Tess Machling @tessmachling.bsky.social · 09/08/2023
Results of our Experimentball (geddit?) Archaeology so far: - Rounder, deeper furrowed, ones work well in sand. - Less finely decorated nobbled ones work OK in sand too. - Finely decorated ones work OK in clay, but seem much better for making pigment prints.
9 pictures of balls tested in clay, sand and on an arm!!
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Matthew J Kuiper @matthewjkuiper.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Heck yes. A prof gave an assignment requiring genAI, and faced a mutiny. “The class…became tense as more students pushed back against [the genAI requirement]. They wanted to know what their classmates thought rather than what a LLM produced…they wanted to wrestle with…readings and complex ideas…”
insidehighered.com
Students as Conscientious Objectors to Gen AI (opinion)
We should listen to them—and treat their objections with respect.
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Dr Bryony Coombs @bryonycoombs.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
👀
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