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Rory Naismith

@rorynaismith.bsky.social
3K followers 908 following 114 posts

Early medievalist, etc., at the University of Cambridge.

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Rory Naismith @rorynaismith.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Hear hear.
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Rory Naismith @rorynaismith.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Unfortunately yes.
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Rory Naismith @rorynaismith.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
(Shared from various people on FB) RIP Chris Wickham
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University of Cambridge @cam.ac.uk · 02/10/2026
In the early Middle Ages, the Anglo-Saxons developed a “Little England” in Rome. New research from @rorynaismith.bsky.social @francescatinti.bsky.social @department-asnc.bsky.social suggests that early English expats avoided ‘travel money’ hassle thanks to the Pope. More: bit.ly/4hrFfKc
The image features a street scene in Rome. Superimposed is an inset of an historic illustration, depicting a seated figure in medieval attire reading a book. The text reads: "New Cambridge research: Anglo-Saxon expats received special treatment from the Pope in Rome's 'Little England.'"
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Rory Naismith @rorynaismith.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Very pleased to have worked on this fascinating group of finds with the wonderful @francescatinti.bsky.social , and thanks to the comms team @cam.ac.uk for putting together the release. www.cam.ac.uk/stories/angl...
cam.ac.uk
Anglo-Saxon expats got special treatment in Rome’s 'Little England'
The first material evidence of the Schola Saxonum suggests the Anglo-Saxons in Rome were a thriving and valued expat community.
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Monica H Green @monicamedhist.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Very cool! The Medieval Academy of America & @uchicagopress.bsky.social have kindly agreed to temporarily lift the paywall on a short essay I published a few months ago: www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/.... Dating, dating, dating. Vital for the historian; essential for interdisc. dialogue.
journals.uchicago.edu
The Future of Time: Methodological Dialogues between Philology, Archaeology, and Genomics | Speculum: Vol 101, No 1
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Rory Naismith @rorynaismith.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Interesting idea, but I doubt it, except maybe for something very senior: an equivalent of LittD that means 'of sufficient standing they could be a BA fellow'.
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Rory Naismith @rorynaismith.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Highly recommend this important new article by @francescatinti.bsky.social in @enghistrev.bsky.social on language and identity in England in the age of Bede (late 7th/early 8th centuries). Open Access too! 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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Rory Naismith @rorynaismith.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Speculum is flexible. Also Early Medieval England and its Neighbours, if it’s on that area.
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Rory Naismith @rorynaismith.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Early medievalists may be happy to know that Simon Keynes’s collection of maps of Anglo-Saxon England has now been made freely available via @trincolllibcam.bsky.social These were commissioned by Simon and drawn (by hand) by Reg Piggott between 1991 and 2012. archives.trin.cam.ac.uk/index.php/ma...
archives.trin.cam.ac.uk
Maps of Anglo-Saxon England - archives.trin.cam.ac.uk
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Rory Naismith @rorynaismith.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Many congratulations!
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Simon Coupland @scoupland.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
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Rory Naismith @rorynaismith.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
That's great! Glad you are liking the book. I'm actually working on a second edition now, so let me know anything you'd like to see more of. Hope the excavations are thriving too!
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Rory Naismith @rorynaismith.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
Agreed: whole image is better. I don’t mind the yellow so much.
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Charles West @pseudo-isidore.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
In case you'd missed the latest on this 7th-c. Byzantine shipwreck. www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/t...
smithsonianmag.com
This Medieval Byzantine Shipwreck Boasts More Gold Treasures Than Any Other Vessel Found Beneath the Mediterranean
The vessel sank in the Adriatic Sea in the seventh or eighth century C.E. Its cargo included a gold signet ring likely associated with the emperor Heraclius and gold belts encrusted with rubies, emera...
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Megan Gooch @agneatha.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
🎺 🪙 Join us in Cambridge or online for this year’s Royal Numismatic Society symposium! Hear talks on coins at the intersection of Late Roman & Early Medieval Europe. Meet other coin folks! @rorynaismith.bsky.social @matthewball.bsky.social #numismatics #coins www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/coinage-in...
eventbrite.co.uk
Coinage in the Late Roman Empire & Early Medieval Europe
Join us in Online or in Cambridge for a day of talks on coins at the intersection of the Late Roman Empire & Early Medieval Europe.
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Jake Stattel @jakestattel.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Excellent @thetls.bsky.social piece on the Mercian Golden Age by Sarah Foot, including high praise for @rorynaismith.bsky.social's biography of Offa #medievalsky www.the-tls.com/history/medi...
the-tls.com
The golden age of eighth-century Mercia
The eighth-century king Offa of Mercia retains a place in the collective memory of both the English and the Welsh as the instigator of the great dyke that
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Charles West @pseudo-isidore.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
The trailer for this Peasants' Revolt film just dropped, I see. youtu.be/ZVkrhHebz1Q?...
youtu.be
THE UPRISING - Official Trailer [HD] - Only In Theaters September 11
YouTube video by Focus Features
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Past and Present @pastpresentsoc.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
From the current issue: "Economic Change, Silver, and the Plague of 664-687 in England" by @rorynaismith.bsky.social (@corpuscambridge.bsky.social, @department-asnc.bsky.social) doi.org/10.1093/past...
doi.org
Economic Change, Silver, and the Plague of 664–687 in England*
Abstract. Bede and other authors describe a destructive wave of plague sweeping across Britain and Ireland in the period 664–87. In the decades around and
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Charles West @pseudo-isidore.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
How can we read the Muslim conquest of Sicily through pottery sherds? Just out on Early View, Viva Sacco, "Ceramic ecology in an Islamic capital" onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... (OA)
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Ceramic ecology in an Islamic capital: changes in the production and consumption of pottery in Palermo
Palermo became the new capital of Sicily after the Aghlabid conquest in 831. The transformation of the city into a capital took many forms, including the production and consumption of pottery. The pe...
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Rory Naismith @rorynaismith.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Exciting announcement: this year's Royal Numismatic Society symposium on 'Coinage in the Late Roman Empire and Early Medieval Europe: Continuity and Crisis' will take place in Cambridge on Saturday 5 September. Details, programme and registration here: numismatics.org.uk/2026/05/13/r...
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Rory Naismith @rorynaismith.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Should anyone want to hear more about Offa ... podcast.show/historically...
podcast.show
Offa the King: Rory Naismith writes the life of a great English …
Running for about 177 miles along the Welsh-English border is the remains of an earthwork, a fortification over a hundred miles longer than Hadrian’s Wall. Built so…
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Charles West @pseudo-isidore.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
Delighted to get my hands on this new book, offering a fresh take on early medieval English kinship by Alex Traves. www.routledge.com/Family-and-S...
Photo of book
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Sihong Lin @sihonglin.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Glasgow is hiring a lecturer in medieval history (c.800-1500) on an open-ended basis. We are a lovely bunch in the medieval area, would be great to have a new colleague! www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DSF052/l...
jobs.ac.uk
Lecturer in Medieval History (Research & Teaching Track) at University of Glasgow
Looking for a new job opportunity in academia? Check out this job opening for a Lecturer in Medieval History (Research & Teaching Track) on jobs.ac.uk!
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Yale University Press London 📖 @yalebooks.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
An authoritative biography of Offa of Mercia, revealing his importance as the king who stood at the turning point of Anglo-Saxon history. Read an extract: yalebooks.co.uk/offa-a-great... #IMC2026
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Yale University Press London 📖 @yalebooks.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
An authoritative new biography of Empress Matilda from Elisabeth Van Houts. Read an extract: yalebooks.co.uk/the-legacy-o... #IMC2026
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Dr Tom Horne @hornesupremacy.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
🪙 A Viking-Age silver coin from Central Asia found in southwest Scotland, which was lost or hoarded by an individual connected to Viking long-distance trade and economic networks, has gone on display at The Whithorn Trust’s museum in Galloway. open.substack.com/pub/historyh...
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Helen Gittos @helengittos.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
A die stamp, potentially for making foils akin to those on the Sutton Hoo helmet has been found in Kent. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... The @findsorguk.bsky.social record is here: finds.org.uk/database/art...
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Sarah E. Bond @sarahebond.bsky.social · 20/06/2026
New curse tablet from Roman Lower Germania—in Greek, dating to the 2ndC CE. “Below the symbols appear the names of four enslaved people, two men with Latin names and two women with Greek names.” archaeologymag.com/2026/06/roma...
archaeologymag.com
Ancient Roman curse tablet found in the Netherlands contains rare Egyptian magic written in Greek | Archaeology News Online Magazine
Ancient Roman curse tablet found in the Netherlands contains rare Egyptian magic written in Greek, offering clues to Roman beliefs.
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Rory Naismith @rorynaismith.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
Another podcast, this time on Making Money in the Early Middle Ages, with the excellent Deepak Bhatt. Sound version here soundcloud.com/business_tal... and on Youtube here www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dnL...
soundcloud.com
From Gold to Silver: Prof. Rory Naismith on the Making of Money in the Early Middle Ages
This Business Talk episode features Dr. Rory Naismith, Professor of Early Medieval English History in the Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of Corpu
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Tim Schmalz @timschmalz.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
Rosamond McKitterick (1949-2026) A formidable scholar, an inspiring teacher, a generous spirit and a supportive colleague - truly, we have lost one of the great ones. @sidneysussex.bsky.social @camhistory.bsky.social @camedieval.bsky.social
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Rory Naismith @rorynaismith.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
It was a huge pleasure to record this podcast episode on Offa with Jamie and Zee from the British History Podcast: www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/an-offa-inte...
thebritishhistorypodcast.com
An Offa Interview with Rory Naismith | The British History Podcast
Today we have a special episode with the return of Professor Rory Naismith! You will remember him from his interview on Anglo Saxon Economics and Money, and today he is back to talk with us about his ...
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Medievalist.net @medievalists.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Offa the Great: The Mercian King Who Reshaped England, by @rorynaismith.bsky.social who has a new book on Offa with @yalebooks.bsky.social www.medievalists.net/2026/06/offa... #medieval #England #histrorysky
medievalists.net
Offa the Great: The Mercian King Who Reshaped England - Medievalists.net
Offa was one of the most powerful rulers of early medieval England, transforming Mercia into the dominant kingdom south of the Humber. In this article, Rory Naismith examines his reign, from the…
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Charles West @pseudo-isidore.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
Why did Charlemagne fail to integrate the Avars? A new piece by Helmut Reimitz: doi.org/10.1017/S006...
doi.org
How the East Became the East: Triumphal Rulership, and the Failure of Integration in Carolingian Central Europe | Austrian History Yearbook | Cambridge Core
How the East Became the East: Triumphal Rulership, and the Failure of Integration in Carolingian Central Europe
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Leonie V. Hicks @lvhicks.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
PhD funding available #skystorians #medievalsky #heritage #archaeology 🏺📜
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Past and Present @pastpresentsoc.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
From the current issue: "Economic Change, Silver, and the Plague of 664-687 in England" by @rorynaismith.bsky.social (@corpuscambridge.bsky.social, @department-asnc.bsky.social) doi.org/10.1093/past...
doi.org
Economic Change, Silver, and the Plague of 664–687 in England*
Abstract. Bede and other authors describe a destructive wave of plague sweeping across Britain and Ireland in the period 664–87. In the decades around and
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Past and Present @pastpresentsoc.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
1/ "Economic Change, Silver, and the Plague of 664-687 in England" by @rorynaismith.bsky.social (@corpuscambridge.bsky.social, @department-asnc.bsky.social) doi.org/10.1093/past...
doi.org
Economic Change, Silver, and the Plague of 664–687 in England*
Abstract. Bede and other authors describe a destructive wave of plague sweeping across Britain and Ireland in the period 664–87. In the decades around and
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Michelle Franklin│Legends and Lectures @michellefranklin.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
The audio-only version of the latest of Legends and Lectures with @rorynaismith.bsky.social is now available everywhere you get your podcasts: open.spotify.com/episode/58Yz...
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Michelle Franklin│Legends and Lectures @michellefranklin.bsky.social · 24/05/2026
LIVE NOW LEGEND AND LECTURES welcomes the lovely @rorynaismith.bsky.social to talk about his new book on King Offa and why Offa built his big dyke: youtu.be/WAFUJvyjbko?...
youtu.be
Who was King Offa?
YouTube video by Michelle Franklin | Legends and Lectures
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Rory Naismith @rorynaismith.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
I greatly enjoyed recording this 'Tis But a Scratch podcast episode about Offa with the wonderful Richard Abels: tis-but-a-scratch-fact-and-fiction-about-the-middle-ages.buzzsprout.com/1925107/epis...
tis-but-a-scratch-fact-and-fiction-about-the-middle-ages.buzzsprout.com
Offa of Mercia: Laying the Foundations of a Kingdom of England (with Prof. Rory Naismith) - 'tis but a scratch: fact and fiction about the Middle Ages
Offa, king of Mercia from 757 to 796, was the most powerful and successful Anglo-Saxon ruler of pre-Viking England. Today Offa is probably best remembered for Offa's Dyke, a massive 150 mile long eart...
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Michelle Franklin│Legends and Lectures @michellefranklin.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
THIS SUNDAY Legends and Lectures welcomes the incomparable @rorynaismith.bsky.social to talk about King Offa and his legendary dyke (and when it was build and why). Join Legends and Lectures for free, and enjoy the podcast: youtu.be/WAFUJvyjbko
Picture of Rory Naismith holding his book, OFFA: KING OF THE MERCIANS
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Robert Gallagher @hwaetspur.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
New open access volume on languages and identities in early medieval Europe (inc a chapter by me on Britain) 🤓
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Charles West @pseudo-isidore.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
Should anyone be in Glasgow next week, and be interested in scribes, kings and scandal:
Lecture poster. Registration link with details: forms.cloud.microsoft/e/85eiB39D7R
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Centre for the Study of the Viking Age @uoncsva.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
Congratulations @rorynaismith.bsky.social for a wonderful book launch last night! Very compelling discussion of Offa and the Mercian supremacy. I now want to spend my summer walking Offa’s dyke and revisiting the British Museum to see the Mercian gold coin once (mis)attributed to Uther Pendragon!
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Rory Naismith @rorynaismith.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
It is, yes.
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Rory Naismith @rorynaismith.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
And here is the EMEN article: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
cambridge.org
A New Early-Ninth-Century Manuscript of Cædmon’s Hymn: Rome, Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale, Vitt. Em. 1452, 122v | Early Medieval England and its Neighbours | Cambridge Core
A New Early-Ninth-Century Manuscript of Cædmon’s Hymn: Rome, Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale, Vitt. Em. 1452, 122v - Volume 52
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Rory Naismith @rorynaismith.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
Research from Early Medieval England and its Neighbours in the news again! A previously lost copy of Cæmon's hymn in Old English, from 9C Italy, has been rediscovered in Rome. Well done Elisabetta Magnanti & Mark Faulkner of @tcddublin.bsky.social !!! www.theguardian.com/books/2026/a...
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Rory Naismith @rorynaismith.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
Officially released TODAY!!!
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Rory Naismith @rorynaismith.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
Thanks - glad you enjoyed it! The day seemed to be a huge hit all round.
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Merle Eisenberg @merleeisenberg.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
Excited for our (@rorynaismith.bsky.social and Paolo Tedesco) upcoming conference: "Our Daily Bread: The Making of Sacral Economies in Western Eurasia," with papers from @woodjamie.bsky.social, @historiantillo.bsky.social & others. If you're around Cambridge (UK) & want to come, drop us a line!
Daily Bread Conference in Cambridge April-May 2026
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