iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Tom Hill @tomcbhill.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Had an amazing, albeit brief (4 days!) on the Isles of #Lewis and #Harris as part of our holidays this year. And yes, the beaches really do live up to their reputation. Pics of #Kneep, #Reef Beach and #Luskentyre Sands

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Tom Hill @tomcbhill.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Unfortunately we’ve not had chance to visit much of the amazing Scottish #archaeology whilst on #Lewis for family holiday this year, but we did manage to visit the #Neolithic #Callanish standing stones! Fantastic visitor centre too, really well curated and informative for all ages 😊😊

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Association for Environmental Archaeology @envarch.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

A new poster and a fresh reminder about the #AEA Conference in York Guildhall between 13th-15th Nov 2026. Abstracts deadline is 30/07/26 🤠 Visit: envarch.net/conferences #environmentalarchaeology #archaeology #archaeobotany #palynology #zooarchaeology #landscapearchaeology See less

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Tom Hill @tomcbhill.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

The @envarch.bsky.social 2026 conference will be held in York in November! Very excited to be helping organise this year’s event. Fascinating academic-commercial #archaeology theme. See details below and consider submitting a paper! #geoarchaeology #environmental

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Tom Hill @tomcbhill.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

New #blog alert! In my third blog, I discuss the subject of #native #woodlands. There’s a lot of attention associated with understanding what our landscape looked like before human activity modified it beyond recognition. But what did it look like in the past? More importantly perhaps…..

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Tom Hill @tomcbhill.bsky.social · 24/03/2026

New #blog alert! As a #micropalaeontologist, understanding the importance of scale, in addition to appreciating the true size of microfossils, is of critical importance. So my 2nd blog attempts to explain scale and size in relation to the subject of micropalaeontology! www.percs.co.uk/size-matters

percs.co.uk

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Tom Hill @tomcbhill.bsky.social · 12/02/2026

New blog alert!! I’m delighted to announce I’ve started a new blog in the hope I can share some fascinating facts about #micropalaeontology and #geoarchaeology! In light of my interests there’ll probably often be a focus on little critters like #pollen and #diatoms! percs.co.uk/micropalaeon...

percs.co.uk

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Tom Hill @tomcbhill.bsky.social · 12/02/2026

percs.co.uk

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Tom Hill @tomcbhill.bsky.social · 08/01/2026

It’s been a very enjoyable few days in Brighton for the @quaternaryra.bsky.social annual discussion meeting! There’s been some great talks spanning glaciology, sedimentology and palaeoecology, in addition to a dedicated session to highlight efforts made to improve Equality, Diversity & Inclusivity

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Tom Hill @tomcbhill.bsky.social · 05/01/2026

Very excited to be visiting Brighton for the @quaternaryra.bsky.social #QRA2026ADM! Love the city and looking forward to hearing about the latest #Quaternary research

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Tom Hill @tomcbhill.bsky.social · 24/10/2025

Excited to be attending the 2025 British Diatom Meeting in Bristol this weekend! Looking forward to meeting up with fellow #diatom enthusiasts and learn about some of the current research being undertaken across both modern and palaeo diatom studies!

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Tom Hill @tomcbhill.bsky.social · 22/09/2025

Each #microscope slide is a tiny window into the past 😊. This #diatom slide was from a sequence of samples from offshore southern North Sea, and is full of only freshwater species! This is because during the Early #Holocene much of the southern North Sea was land, connecting the UK to Europe!

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Association for Environmental Archaeology @envarch.bsky.social · 03/06/2025

We're happy to announce that abstract submission for the 45th AEA conference, on 4th-6th December 2025, in Stavanger, Norway is OPEN! Visit aeastavanger.wordpress.com for info, cost details coming soon! Abstract Submission by 15/08/25: nettskjema.no/a/525786 #environmentalarchaeology #AEA

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Tom Hill @tomcbhill.bsky.social · 06/08/2025

Playing with my new #microscope and camera setup, came across some beautiful reworked #Eocene #dinoflagellate cysts, in #pollen slides from some #Holocene estuarine alluvium!

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Ehud @duhe.bsky.social · 15/07/2025

The Dan David Prize is the world’s largest history prize, annually awarding 9 prizes of $300,000 each to early and midcareer scholars and practitioners in the historical disciplines. Nominees can come from *any field* related to the study of the human past, both within academia and outside it.

dandavidprize.org

Nominate

We invite you to nominate outstanding scholars and practitioners engaged in exploring any aspect of the human past.

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Tom Hill @tomcbhill.bsky.social · 15/07/2025

Enjoying counting some rather nice #pollen samples from a #Neolithic peatland site in N England, UK. Rammed with well preserved grains with pine, hazel and lime visible here. Sequence also includes alder, elm, oak, birch and ivy. A native UK #woodland summarised in one pollen sample!

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Tom Hill @tomcbhill.bsky.social · 03/07/2025

I had a great time yesterday attending the Summer Social at @nhm-london.bsky.social . Having worked there for 9 years, I’m fortunate to remain a Scientific Associate and be able to continue to work (and socialise!) with so many inspiring people 😁

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Tom Hill @tomcbhill.bsky.social · 15/06/2025

New microscope to celebrate 4yrs of being a freelance #geoarch #micropalaeontology consultant! Decided to stick with #Motic, as the image quality is 💪💪👌👌, easily comparable to leica, Olympus etc, plus fraction of price! #pollen #diatoms

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Antiquity Journal @antiquity.ac.uk · 07/06/2025

5800-year-old wooden trackway from Neolithic Britain, preserved in the waterlogged environment #NationalTrailsDay 🏺 Wetlands are home to some of the world's best-preserved archaeology, but they are under threat from climate change. Learn more 🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy...

Rectangular trench in a muddy environment, in which sit many wooden planks and logs in situ, arranged to form a trackway.

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MSDS Marine & MSDS Heritage @msdsmarine.bsky.social · 21/05/2025

📢📢 Paid training placements!! We are offering two 15-day internships to give those studying in relevant disciplines the opportunity to experience working in the heritage sector as part of a paid internship. Find out more here: msdsmarine.com/paid-interns... #archaeology #maritimeheritage

msdsmarine.com

Paid Internship Opportunity 2025

Position: Marine Protection Intern Location: Holbrook, Derbyshire Bursary: £1,200.00 + accommodation and subsistence whilst on fieldwork Contract Type: 15 day paid internship Closing Date: 05/06/2025 ...

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Tom Hill @tomcbhill.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

If you’re having a bad day…. Just say hello to these #pollen grains of #Lactuca (lettuce), who are smiling at you 😃

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Tom Hill @tomcbhill.bsky.social · 26/04/2025

On Wednesday we said farewell to a true legend in #foraminifera and #ostracoda, John Whittaker. John spent almost all his career at the NHM in London, so it was fitting to celebrate his life there, surrounded by his colleagues, friends and family.

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Tom Booth @boothicus.bsky.social · 19/04/2025

Pssst...yeah you mate...interested in Alasdair Whittle's new paper on the interconnectivity between Britain and Ireland 6000 years ago, during the development of the Neolithic? It's niche but rich stuff. I'll do you a deal, mate. www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

cambridge.org

The politics of early Neolithic connectivity: Relations between Britain and Ireland | Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society | Cambridge Core

The politics of early Neolithic connectivity: Relations between Britain and Ireland

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Tom Hill @tomcbhill.bsky.social · 04/04/2025

It's quite rare to get a #Holocene #diatom sample that appears to contain only one species, but this borehole sample, obtained during ground works in southeast England, seems to only contain #Diploneis didyma! It's a marine-brackish mud-loving diatom, often associated with mudflat settings 🔬🔬😍👍

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Tom Hill @tomcbhill.bsky.social · 29/03/2025

Partial #solar #eclipse any time now! Between 10.30 UK time! But don’t look directly at the sun…… Apparently if you use a colander when no clouds in way, you’ll see tiny eclipses instead of circles!

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Tom Hill @tomcbhill.bsky.social · 21/03/2025

Over the last few wks I've had so much fun working with @walternewton.bsky.social, who is a graphic artist specialising in pixel-based illustrations! He has managed to convert my geeky obsession with #pollen and #diatoms, to create bespoke illustrations for PERCS publicity purposes!

original images of pollen and diatom species, which have been converted into pixilated art

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Tom Hill @tomcbhill.bsky.social · 19/03/2025

Heading home after three days in Oxford attending the @oxradiocarbon.bsky.social workshop in #radiocarbon dating and #Bayesian analysis! Such an amazing place, fab ppl and the amount of work that goes into RC dating is mind blowing! Especially appreciated the age-depth modelling session. Thank you!!

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Alice Dowsett @alicedowsett.bsky.social · 11/03/2025

Ventured to London today to give a lecture to the students from @uclarchaeology.bsky.social on ASE’s Wantsum Channel project @archsoutheast.bsky.social

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Tom Hill @tomcbhill.bsky.social · 10/03/2025

A que for my #palaeo friends out there! I regularly see #chrysophyte #cysts in #Holocene #diatom samples. Often clear morphological variation, from smooth to spiky forms, spherical to elongated etc. Is there any #palaeoenvironmental info that can be obtained from different species of these beauties?

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Alison Fisk @alisonfisk.bsky.social · 03/03/2025

Beware of the dog??! 👀 🐾 Endearing Roman mosaic of a little black guard dog curled up asleep 💤 in the entrance passage of his family home in Pompeii. House of Lucius Caecilius Iucundus. 📷 by me #MosaicMonday #Archaeology

My photo shows a view through the entrance passage of the house of Lucius Caecilius Iucundus (Casa di Cecilio Giocondo), REGIO V, INSULA I, 26, looking towards the atrium and tablinum. On the floor of the entrance passage is a mosaic depicting a small black guard dog which is curled up asleep. Mosaic depictions of ‘guard dogs’ were popular placed at the entrance of wealthy homes in Pompeii. Lucius Caecilius Iucundus, the owner of this house, was a wealthy banker who lived in Pompeii 2,000 years ago.

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Tom Hill @tomcbhill.bsky.social · 28/02/2025

Oh and last one for today! Prior to going freelance I worked @nhm-london.bsky.social for ten years! One particular highlight was meeting David #Attenborough and having a lovely conversation about #micropalaeontology and #microfossils. The man is a walking natural history encyclopaedia!

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Tom Hill @tomcbhill.bsky.social · 28/02/2025

Another microfossil i often encountered on my microscope slides are #testateamoebae, small single celled organisms that are often encountered in wetland settings, with different species often associated with wetter or drier conditions.

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Tom Hill @tomcbhill.bsky.social · 28/02/2025

One of the great things about #microscopy is the variety of other micro-critters you encounter on your slides, which often are just as important in your #geoarchaeological story. One few favourite are #dinoflagellate cysts which are marine #microfossils most often associated with bedrock deposits

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Tom Hill @tomcbhill.bsky.social · 28/02/2025

When not staring down my #microscope, I also love to do a bit of painting. Although I'm most often found copying other people's works, rather than having any actual imagination to create my own! #picasso. And with two kids, I haven't picked up the brushes in far too long 😆

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Tom Hill @tomcbhill.bsky.social · 28/02/2025

I am a #micropalaeontologist, who specialises in the study of #pollen and #diatoms in sedimentary archives. My main focus is on how they can contribute to #geoarchaeology, particularly #Holocene contexts

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Tom Hill @tomcbhill.bsky.social · 28/02/2025

Sitting on the shingle beach at #EastWittering summer hols '22, my then 7yo comes over and asks: 'Daddy, is this a microfossil?'. ID then confirmed by micropalaeo colleague Mike Simmons. How she found a fossil #foraminifera #Nummulites on the shingle is beyond me! Future #micropaleontologist!

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Tom Hill @tomcbhill.bsky.social · 28/02/2025

Sharing a few old favourite posts from X. Its not common to encounter a #diatom sample in which the assemblage is almost wholly dominated by a single species. Behold my personal favourite, #Diploneis interrupta! A marine-brackish aerophile, common in the supratidal zone around Mean High Water. 😁😊🔬

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Tom Hill @tomcbhill.bsky.social · 28/02/2025

Hello Bluesky! I have finally made it! Tom here, a fan of all things #diatoms #pollen #palynology, specialising in #geoarchaeology. And what better way to start a Friday than with a lovely pic of some diatoms collected from a UK #holocene core sequence undergoing #environemntal assessments 🔬😀

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Association for Environmental Archaeology @envarch.bsky.social · 24/02/2025

Hello and Welcome!! Registration for the Association for Environmental Archaeology #AEA Spring Conference in April 2025 is now open! Visit: envarch.net/conferences for registration details. #environmentalarchaeology #archaeology #palynology #archaeobotany #zooarchaeology #geoarchaeology

envarch.net

Association for Environmental Archaeology

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