Jen Baird

Wonderful news from Birkbeck's School of Historical Studies. We're hiring not one but TWO open-ended, full-time roles: Medieval Studies, and History of Art! cis7.bbk.ac.uk/home.html#fi...

All welcome, further details and booking here: www.bbk.ac.uk/events/event...

Statue memorial on stone plinth with French flag in background

Next week at the Carena Institute of Sustainable Archaeologies (Birkbeck), we'll hear from Layla Renshaw about 'The Recovery and Identification of WWI Soldiers on the Western Front: Citizen Science, Nationalism, and Memorial Diplomacy'

Julia Domna Headpot Handcrafted Replica Roman Head Pot – Inspired by the York Collection Details This stunning head pot replica is based on one of the 50 head pots or face urns discovered in York, a city founded by the R...

@pottedhistory.bsky.social makes replicas! They are stunning! potted-history.co.uk/products/jul...

Vessel (head pot / face urn) in the shape of a woman's head.

Working on a thing, distracted by a headpot. Please behold this incredible likeness of Syrian empress Julia Domna from York (York Museums H2132).

Absolutely this. Carney (and Canada) are not perfect but such a relief to hear from someone who sounds like a grown-up for a change.

Book cover of "Domicide" by Ammar Azzouz

And mostly I'm very grateful to Ammar, for writing his incredible book and reading a draft of my chapter which took his work in directions he probably never expected.

Book cover of 'Palmyra, the Roman Empire, and the Third Century Crisis' with black and white image of Roman ruins below the title

Anyway, I have a pdf if anyone would like a copy. I'm very grateful to Eivind Seland and Rubina Raja for inviting me (and having faith that I'd have something to say to the topic, even if I didn't realise it). Claire Taylor and @drdanstewart1.bsky.social talked through all my ideas (and worries)

What if we used that same evidence to think about lived experiences in the third century rather than grand narratives? I tried to do this using the evidence of houses and small finds in urban settings, looking at dispossession and displacement.

Ancient tragedies such as plagues, earthquakes, & invasions tend to be something ancient historians and archaeologists write about blithely, as useful chronological horizons and recognisable strata in our deposits. We've tended to centre the spectacular over the mundane.

This chapter is the result. Drawing on Ammar Azzouz's work on Domicide, I tried to use his frameworks to rethink the third century in Roman Syria using archaeological evidence.

In mid-2023 I was invited to speak about the 3rd Century Crisis at a conference in Copenhagen. By the time I was writing the paper later that year, the irony of writing about ancient crises from a position of safety in a world full of real violence (in the very same places) was almost too much.

Today! And if you tried to sign up and were waitlisted, we now have more space (Keynes library, Gordon square)

Birkbeck, University of London, is seeking a Lecturer in Medieval Studies to join our dynamic team within the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Autumn 2026. As Lecturer in Medieval Studies you will contribute to the teaching of Medieval English literature and Medieval history across the Faculty, within our School of Creative Arts, Culture and Communication, and School of Historical Studies - this includes our BA English and BA History programmes, as well as postgraduate taught programmes in the two subject areas. This post is offered on a permanent contract at Birkbeck, full time 35 hours per week, with a salary of £44,247 rising to £60,858 per year. Teaching hours will vary from 6pm - 9pm, Monday to Friday. To be successful, you will bring research expertise in the literature, history and culture of the Late Medieval period (c.1300-1500), and demonstrate a capacity to contribute to interdisciplinary research and teaching, participate actively in curriculum development, supervise doctoral students, and help shape the intellectual life of our vibrant academic community. We would also welcome applicants who would be able to contribute to collaborative teaching programmes or research in the Faculty, in areas such as identity, race/ethnicity, or gender - experience of collaboration with cultural institutions, whether through research or teaching, is also welcome. Core responsibilities will initially include programme/module administration, teaching, supervision, assessment, student support and pastoral care. You will also be equipped to supervise doctoral students. With a PhD in any area of Medieval Studies, you will contribute the Faculty’s and Schools’ research impact and culture, and to the intellectual and cultural life of the institution and the various communities and partners with whom we work and serve.

Birkbeck is hiring a Lecturer in Medieval Studies (c.1300-1500), full-time and open-ended.

They will be formally based in English but expected to be able to contribute about 0.5FTE to History, including teaching and supervision.

Closing date Feb 23rd: cis7.bbk.ac.uk/vacancy/lect...

(Trying to find bigger rooms: if you've been waitlisted, we'll be in touch!)

Thank you! In person only this term, sorry!

The first Carena Institute of Sustainable Archaeologies Seminar series, on Collaborative Archaeologies in (Post)Conflict Contexts, kicks off next week with Hiba Alkhalaf. All welcome! Sign up via the link: www.bbk.ac.uk/events?tag=1...

An Ode to my Alma Mater Note: this post was originally published on 29/08/2022​ Since this blog was conceived to chart my adventures in adult education, it would be remiss of me not to write about how I feel as I...

FB memories tells me that it is exactly 8 years since I received my unconditional offer for my Classical Studies BA at Birkbeck. I'm a little bit stunned to think how much I've managed to cram in since then. Seems like a good time to reshare this: ancientalexandra.weebly.com/blog/an-ode-...

Emphasis is on community-centred reconstruction that advances reconciliation, transitional justice, and sustainable recovery, restoring both places & their social fabric.

It outlines key threats- man-made, environmental, and legal/governance- and the urgent needs and emerging responses since the fall of the Assad regime on 8 December 2024.

Her seminar overviews Syria’s cultural heritage after years of conflict, tracing material and socio-cultural losses shaped by siege, displacement, and trauma.

Photo portrait of Hiba Alkhalaf

Hiba Alkhalaf is an architect with experience in architectural conservation and heritage management. She is founder of Aswat Al-Turath, an initiative was born from a simple yet urgent truth: in places deeply affected by conflict, cultural heritage is more than monuments. www.voicesheritage.org

Seminar poster with details, accessible via the following link: https://www.bbk.ac.uk/events?tag=1200

Hiba's seminar will be first in Carena Institute of Sustainable Archaeologies series, on "Collaborative Archaeologies in (Post)Conflict Contexts". All welcome, in-person only, book via this link: www.bbk.ac.uk/events?tag=1...

Aleppo with tidied-up destruction

A year ago yesterday, everything changed for Syria. This January, Hiba Alkhalaf will speak at Birkbeck about "From Destruction to Recovery: Syrian Heritage, Fourteen Years On".

No points for guessing which of these articles is mine!

*pinches bridge of nose* Rachel explain to me again how the university funding model works

Only in-person for this round, I'm afraid!

Our first speaker for the series will be Hiba Alkhalaf (Voices of Heritage/Aswat Alturath). She'll be speaking about "From Destruction to Recovery: Syrian Heritage, Fourteen Years on". Link to book below.

www.bbk.ac.uk/events/event...

The Carena Institute of Sustainable Archaeologies seminar series will start next term at Birkbeck.

The topic will be Collaborative Archaeologies in (Post)Conflict Contexts. All very welcome!

Join us Nov 25 for Engaging Publics in Media, Cities & Space -free online conference on research impact in media and urban studies. Talks on monographs, journals, podcasts, walking tours + networking, incl. a special session for ECRs.
👉 Full programme & register: docs.google.com/document/d/e...