Sign in

Caitlin Ellis

@medivalist.bsky.social
2.1K followers 445 following 91 posts

Medievalist - Vikings, Normans, Britain, Ireland, the North Atlantic and beyond. Reception & Medievalism. Associate Professor, University of Oslo

PostsRepliesMedia
Caitlin Ellis @medivalist.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Delighted to have been awarded a Young CAS grant (Centre for Advanced Study at the Norwegian Academy of Sciences and Letters) for a small project cas-nor.no/news/adolesc...
cas-nor.no
Adolescence in the Viking-Age and microglial identity - Announcing the new Young CAS Projects of 2027-2028 | CAS
We received yet another round of exceptionally strong applications and are pleased to continue to see a diverse range of themes, disciplines, and institutional affiliations among our applicants.The Yo...
2231
Reposted by Caitlin Ellis
Tobias Wilson-Bates @phdhurtbrain.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
I would not like an AI summary, I would not like it on a boat, I would not like the email bloat, I do not like it on a chair, I would not like it anywhere! I do not like them on a phone, I do not like them in my home, I do not want them on a search, I do not like them in a church
227670
Caitlin Ellis @medivalist.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Unexpected plastic Viking helmet amongst the flowers left for King Harald at the royal palace in Oslo - this piece of medievalism apparently via football
Plastic Viking helmet with Norwegian flags and football scarvesThe same as last image but more zoomed out to show the other flowers on the lawnMasses of flowers left outside the royal palace
151
Reposted by Caitlin Ellis
James Cameron @jjjcameron.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
"Universities fail to win over people who fundamentally hate everything they stand for (again)" www.ft.com/content/a314...
UK universities fail to win over Reform
59624
Caitlin Ellis @medivalist.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
"The Irish Soldier: In Peacetime and in War, At Home and Abroad, From Earliest Times to the Present" is now available for Pre-Order ed. Thomas Bartlett www.fourcourtspress.ie/books/2026/t...
fourcourtspress.ie
Four Courts Press | The Irish Soldier
In Peacetime and at War, at Home and Abroad, from Earliest Times to the Present by Thomas Bartlett, editor
1154
Caitlin Ellis @medivalist.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
What a lovely, thoughtful review of the book informally known as 'Normans at Sea'
062
Reposted by Caitlin Ellis
Dr. Erika Graham-Goering @jeanneologist.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
With good academic news from my friends so rare these days, I want to shout about Claire Burridge's exciting new ERC project even though she's not on here! How cool is this?! Congrats Claire!
hf.uio.no
Researching food and pharmacy in medieval Northern Europe - Faculty of Humanities
How did people in the Middle Ages think about the relationship between food and health? With funding from the EU, Claire Burridge will shed new light on this question.
44817
Reposted by Caitlin Ellis
Dr. Roberta Dollinger @robertadolling1.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
It's almost like not doing the assignments that are supposed to help you understand and master the material interferes with your ability to understand and master the material. Curious.
38634
Reposted by Caitlin Ellis
Sam Ottewill-Soulsby @samottewillsoulsby.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
And if that isn’t enough medieval falcon content for you, you can also listen to us on the @mmapod.bsky.social podcast www.multiculturalmiddleages.com/post/the-glo...
multiculturalmiddleages.com
The Global Gyrfalcon (Ellis, Ottewill-Soulsby, Bandlien, Orten Lie)
This episode of The Multicultural Middle Ages Podcast takes a bird’s eye view of the global medieval world, following the trade and giving of arctic gyrfalcons across vast distances. Caitlin, Sam, Bjø...
0132
Reposted by Caitlin Ellis
Sam Ottewill-Soulsby @samottewillsoulsby.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
You can also read our original research here! onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
The caliph and the falcons: a ninth‐century history from Iceland to Iraq
In the late ninth and early tenth centuries, an extraordinary number of falcons were given to the ʿAbbāsid caliphs in Baghdad, many of which were white. Gifts from competing dynasties in the northern...
14012
Reposted by Caitlin Ellis
Sam Ottewill-Soulsby @samottewillsoulsby.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Delighted to see that my copies of Archaeology magazine have arrived, featuring @medivalist.bsky.social and myself talking about our recent article on arctic falcons in ninth-century Baghdad! #medievalsky #archaeology #vikings @archaeologymag.bsky.social
Picture of magazine showing cover and the article, with a nice photo of a gyrfalcon.
1142
Reposted by Caitlin Ellis
Holly Casio @hollycasio.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Here a compilation of stupid things library consultants have said to me in solidarity with library pals at Lambeth Libraries where genius consultants has decided that a qualified head of library service post isn't really essential.
12433223
Reposted by Caitlin Ellis
David Higham @oldtrotter.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
This should be self evident but clearly isn’t. From @lewisgoodall.com
The problem is not that higher education has failed as an engine of social mobility. It is that, for too long, it has been treated as the only engine. The curriculum is not the problem which is driving our NEET malaise; the weakness of local economies is. Any Labour administration should therefore tread very carefully before dismantling any part of the comprehensive educational settlement created by the Labour governments of the 1960s. Burnham's proposals also misunderstand the multi-layered nature of the modern university, which in many cases is as likely to offer vocational courses as strictly academic ones.
In any case, let's stop the obsession with STEM subjects and
"practical" training. There is already too much snobbery in the assumption that working-class students are somehow less interested in the arts and humanities. And we've never needed those graduates more. In an age in which we are already outsourcing so much of our critical thinking to machines, and in which none of us can be entirely sure of the truth of what we see, where the world's complexity is ever deepening, subjects like philosophy, history, political science, linguistics, classics and literature have rarely been more important.
I'm sure our English graduate prime minister might agree.
414675
Caitlin Ellis @medivalist.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Is it some sort of record to be asked by three separate journals to review the same book? 🤔
1111
Caitlin Ellis @medivalist.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Still 3 weeks left to apply for a PhD position in runic & Latin epigraphy and for two postdocs, one in Latin and one in Old Norse on Alessandro Palumbo’s ERC project in Oslo www.hf.uio.no/iln/english/...
hf.uio.no
Vacancies - Department of Linguistics and Scandinavian Studies
Read this story on the University of Oslo's website.
089
Reposted by Caitlin Ellis
Avert Your Eyes, Pamela Ganache! @pressfuturist.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
“Education will set us free … and that’s why I’m slashing Strategic Priorities Grant funding by £100m this year, cutting funding for nursing, computing and history courses, and creative arts, performing arts, archaeology and geography courses.”
1196
Reposted by Caitlin Ellis
Len Scales.bsky.social @lenscales.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Just appalling what is being proposed at Exeter: please sign and circulate. c.org/NvFWPSKhQb
c.org
Sign the Petition
Stop Redundancies at the University of Exeter
133
Reposted by Caitlin Ellis
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
'What is perhaps remarkable about the Exeter cuts is that they are targeted at some of the university’s most successful departments, many of which turn over a profit even after they have made enormous and increasing contributions to the central university budget.' Read, rage and weep.
johnheathershaw.substack.com
The Crisis in Britain’s Universities
The cuts that have been proposed at the University of Exeter demonstrates the crisis of purpose in Britain’s universities. Should not universities also be places to prepare for "eternal dwellings"?
10307179
Reposted by Caitlin Ellis
Greg Jenner (Historian) @gregjenner.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
The value of the humanities is more than just what people are willing to pay for it — it can’t just be a business decision. The arts and humanities are fundamental to the flourishing of our society; knowledge gathering, critical thinking, and creativity should be defended as sacred things
121862
Reposted by Caitlin Ellis
Greg Jenner (Historian) @gregjenner.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
So many UK universities are hugely threatened by financial pressure. Most of them are perhaps not as renowned as the high profile institution above, but they all do vital teaching and research work which fosters knowledge, learning and societal development. They’re also key local employers…
38616
Reposted by Caitlin Ellis
Monica H Green @monicamedhist.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Here's the link to MMA podcast webpage: www.multiculturalmiddleages.com/post/the-glo.... I'm looking forward to listening to this, b/c the trade in & lore about hunting birds offers a super opportunity to explore #GlobalMiddleAges questions. #MedievalSky
multiculturalmiddleages.com
The Global Gyrfalcon (Ellis, Ottewill-Soulsby, Bandlien, Orten Lie)
This episode of The Multicultural Middle Ages Podcast takes a bird’s eye view of the global medieval world, following the trade and giving of arctic gyrfalcons across vast distances. Caitlin, Sam, Bjø...
1179
Reposted by Caitlin Ellis
Sam Ottewill-Soulsby @samottewillsoulsby.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
I’m delighted to see that the latest episode of the Multicultural Middle Ages podcast on ‘The Global Gyrfalcon’, hosted by @medivalist.bsky.social and myself, is now out! #medievalsky @mmapod.bsky.social www.multiculturalmiddleages.com/post/the-glo...
multiculturalmiddleages.com
The Global Gyrfalcon (Ellis, Ottewill-Soulsby, Bandlien, Orten Lie)
This episode of The Multicultural Middle Ages Podcast takes a bird’s eye view of the global medieval world, following the trade and giving of arctic gyrfalcons across vast distances. Caitlin, Sam, Bjø...
22915
Caitlin Ellis @medivalist.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
Looking forward to seeing this wide-ranging volume! Featuring a wee contribution from yours truly on the Irish Sea in the Norse sagas.
031
Reposted by Caitlin Ellis
Christian Cooijmans @ccooijmans.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
It's that time of the year again!
A still frame from a Bernie Sanders campaign video, with the caption 'I am once again asking you to stop using the term "British Isles".'
2162
Reposted by Caitlin Ellis
Fraser McNair @ralphtorta.bsky.social · 14/06/2026
Rosamond McKitterick, my doctoral supervisor, has died. It is deeply unfair that someone so healthy should have been taken before her due time. But although I am sad, it is heartening to to think not just about the legacy left by her body of work...
4668
Reposted by Caitlin Ellis
Ed Roberts @ecroberts.bsky.social · 14/06/2026
I was never a student of Rosamond's, but her support and encouragement on so many occasions were invaluable for developing my confidence as a young historian. A profound loss for our field, but what a wonderful legacy she has left.
0101
Reposted by Caitlin Ellis
Ketan Joshi @ketanjoshi.co · 10/06/2026
The planned gas-fired capacity **JUST FOR DATA CENTRE ON-SITE USE** in the US is the same as *all* planned gas capacity in India, Africa, Latin America, Southeast Asia, Japan, Korea and China *combined*.
A chart showing planned gas capacity by countr y
8258173
Caitlin Ellis @medivalist.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Great to see this in paperback! Thanks again to the editors for assembling this cool volume on borders across the Norman world incl. my article on “Ireland and the Anglo-Normans within the Irish Sea World: Rebels, Mercenaries, Allies 1066–1169”
181
Caitlin Ellis @medivalist.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
Gleder meg til å bidra til dette arrangementet om kvinnene i kongesagaene i kveld. www.uio.no/forskning/sc... Det er fullbooket!
uio.no
Kvinnene i kongesagaene - Universitetet i Oslo
Kongesagaene rommer sterke, spennende og komplekse kvinneskikkelser som var aktive aktører i vikingtidens harde maktkamper. Her løftes kvinnene frem som handlet, påvirket og formet historien.
094
Caitlin Ellis @medivalist.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
A great showing from Oslo at the Societas Celtologica Nordica conference in Helsinki last week incl. keynote from Kristen Mills. Thanks to @sfennica.bsky.social @metamedievalist.bsky.social and the organisers! Cool to see your students present
051
Reposted by Caitlin Ellis
Medievalist.net @medievalists.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
Vikings Traded Falcons with Medieval Baghdad, Study Finds www.medievalists.net/2026/05/viki... great research by @medivalist.bsky.social and @samottewillsoulsby.bsky.social #medieval #Vikings #Abbasids
medievalists.net
Vikings Traded Falcons with Medieval Baghdad, Study Finds - Medievalists.net
A remarkable new study argues that Vikings may have supplied rare Arctic falcons to the rulers of the ʿAbbāsid Caliphate, creating a trade network that stretched from Iceland to Baghdad in the ninth…
15519
Reposted by Caitlin Ellis
Sam Ottewill-Soulsby @samottewillsoulsby.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
I’m delighted to see this write-up of our article on vikings and the sudden appearance of arctic falcons in medieval Baghdad! #medievalsky
1326
Reposted by Caitlin Ellis
aelura @aelura.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
It takes time to learn things. This isn't the Matrix, humans are not LLMs, you don't just upload knowledge into your brain. It comes with time and experience and, crucially, a chance for your brain to rest and process what it's learned.
053
Reposted by Caitlin Ellis
Dr Susan Greaney @suegreaney.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
Fully funded PhD studentship with English Heritage and University of York on medieval monastic window glass: www.york.ac.uk/archaeology/...
york.ac.uk
Fragmented Pasts: medieval monastic window fragments in archaeological archives - Department of Archaeology, University of York
This project will bring new digital methods to recording, cataloguing, analysing and interpreting the architectural fragments of window surrounds and tracery that were removed from their original cont...
01917
Reposted by Caitlin Ellis
Dr Holly Nielsen @hollynielsen.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
We’re going to see a lot more of this kind of dubious research that uses technology to “solve and discover” things as the humanities continues to be devalued.
510229
Reposted by Caitlin Ellis
Simon Coupland @scoupland.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
Norway's largest Viking age silver hoard has recently turned up near Rena in Østerdalen, Innlandet. So far 2970 coins have been found, dating between 980 and 1040: English, German, Danish and Norwegian. It's still being studied. #medievalsky #vikings innlandetfylke.no/nyheter-fors...
innlandetfylke.no
Enormt skattefunn fra vikingtiden
Norgeshistoriens største myntskatt fra vikingtiden er funnet på en åker i Østerdalen. Hittil er 2970 sølvmynter funnet.
03711
Reposted by Caitlin Ellis
nilay patel @reckless.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
People do not feel this way about great products! www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
theverge.com
The more young people use AI, the more they hate it
Caught between fears of job loss and social stigma, Gen Z’s opinions of AI are hitting new lows.
1336372
Reposted by Caitlin Ellis
Peadar Ó Muircheartaigh @pomuirch.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
Deis anseo do scoláirí na Gaeilge 👇
073
Reposted by Caitlin Ellis
The Haskins Society @haskinssociety.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
We're looking for an Assistant Editor for the Haskins Society Journal! Applications due by April 27.
HSJ: Assistant Editorship! 

The Haskins Society Journal is accepting applications for the position of Assistant Editor. The Assistant Editor will be involved in all stages of the review and editing process, including copy editing, communicating with authors and reviewers, and tracking the progress of manuscripts. Candidates should have strong skills in communication, language, ethics, and organization. 

To apply, please submit a letter of interest and a CV by April 27, 2026 to haskinssocietyjournal@gmail.com . The letter should discuss your interest in the position, current research activities, and any previous experiences that would be relevant to this position. If you have any questions about this position or the application process, please contact the editorial team at haskinssocietyjournal@gmail.com.
035
Reposted by Caitlin Ellis
Faine Greenwood @faineg.com · 12/04/2026
It is genuinely surreal to watch both the U.S. and Britain decide to destroy their own world-renowned and extremely profitable university systems at the same time.
331106266
Reposted by Caitlin Ellis
Dan Immergluck @danimmergluck.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
Brutal.
A WHOLE CIVILIZATION
WILL DIE TONIGHT
My son needs lunch, and I have to put his backpack together, but a whole civilization will die tonight, so I'm wondering if they've closed their schools.
Like, a snow day, maybe, except instead of snow it's
"keep your children home so if you die, you die together" — instead of "well open back up once the plows have cleared" it's
"we don't know if we'll be here tomorrow, hold your babies tight."
It's just "talk" I'm told, which I've been told before.
"It's how the president makes his deals." But I've never heard anyone talk about other human beings this way, and I'm not certain I can look my son in the eyes if we all agree to stomach it one more time.
A civilization will die tonight, but as I zip up his backpack and kiss him off to school I think: if this is what we call leadership then I'm not entirely sure ours isn't already dead.
@michaelfdubois
Mukad A QuBoy
@michacifdubois
393944018
Reposted by Caitlin Ellis
Charles West @pseudo-isidore.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
Some good news - a new issue of Early Medieval Europe has dropped! And it's a bumper issue, with six articles, not the usual five. Here's a quick thread on the delights awaiting you: 1/9
14820
Reposted by Caitlin Ellis
Dr. Rachel Schine @rachelschine.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
Birds might not be real, but they help you do real history! (This is extremely cool.)
1234
Reposted by Caitlin Ellis
Charles West @pseudo-isidore.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
Then @medivalist.bsky.social and @samottewillsoulsby.bsky.social on the Caliph and the Falcons, tracing connections from Iceland to Iraq from a bird's eye perspective (open access) 6/9 doi.org/10.1111/emed...
doi.org
The caliph and the falcons: a ninth‐century history from Iceland to Iraq
In the late ninth and early tenth centuries, an extraordinary number of falcons were given to the ʿAbbāsid caliphs in Baghdad, many of which were white. Gifts from competing dynasties in the northern...
1167
Reposted by Caitlin Ellis
Sam Ottewill-Soulsby @samottewillsoulsby.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
I‘m very happy to see that the latest issue of Early Medieval Europe is now out, featuring ‘The Caliph and the Falcons’, that I wrote with @medivalist.bsky.social, now with actual page numbers! Check it out for arctic falcons, adventurous Scandinavians, ambitious emirs and more!
1247
Reposted by Caitlin Ellis
Clare Downham @downham.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
Database on vikings in Irish Chronicles AD 794-902 which was completed as part of my doctoral research (a looong time ago) www.celt.dias.ie/publications... #medievalsky #archaeology #spéirghorm
06022
Reposted by Caitlin Ellis
Thomas Ha @thomasha.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
"we need kids to get an early start operating machines that are routinely wrong and may try to coax them into suicide and/or psychosis" is a fun education perspective i disagree with actually
21204333
Reposted by Caitlin Ellis
Mike Boylan-Kolchin @mbkplus.bsky.social · 05/04/2026
The first women being admitted as undergraduates at Columbia University is something that happened in my lifetime. There’s a lot we take for granted that is ~2-3 generations old, and people in power are actively trying to undo a lot of it.
718648
Reposted by Caitlin Ellis
Surprised Eel Historian, PhD @greenleejw.bsky.social · 04/04/2026
This makes me angry. Not unreasonably angry. I feel quite justified. I am minded to post again a poem I wrote in the fall (and shared fairly recently, so sorry about that). This time, though, it's got some art.
A poem and a drawing. The poem starts at the top left of the page, is titled "Humanities" and is made up of a set of 6 haikus. The first and last ones are on the left side of the page, but haikus 2-5 are increasingly indented, and the final The text of the poem reads:

Who needs history?
Literature? Languages? 
Art? Philosophy?

These can only help
    you to better understand
        our humanity.

Best to let machines
    read your books. And write your books.
        Do your art for you.

You will never need
    to think. Never need to learn.
       You’ll learn to like it.

And when the end comes
    you’ll have never burdened your
        soul with any growth.

Someone selling this
sees profit in destroying
your humanity.

The drawing is at the top right. It's a black and white ink pen drawing made of abstract shapes and lines. It might look like a tree made of bird heads.
318065