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Mateusz Fafinski

@calthalas.bsky.social

Late antiquity, early Middle Ages, manuscripts, cities and monasticism. A bit of digital humanities and maps as well. Assistant Professor at the University of Erfurt

6,506 Followers  |  255 Following  |  937 Posts  |  Joined: 06.07.2023
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Posts by Mateusz Fafinski (@calthalas.bsky.social)

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Want to know the date of the Tremulous Hand of Worcester, or why medieval documentary β€˜forgery’ is, more properly, imaginative fiction? My book is now available in paperback! πŸ₯³

www.arc-humanities.org/978180270086...

01.03.2026 13:51 β€” πŸ‘ 32    πŸ” 7    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 1
An oblong sheet of written parchment, formerly sealed.

An oblong sheet of written parchment, formerly sealed.

The only surviving original Carolingian "littera formata", like a passport for a priest. Issued in Lucca, now in Pavia. archiviodigitale-icar.cultura.gov.it/it/185/ricer...

26.02.2026 17:35 β€” πŸ‘ 94    πŸ” 20    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

There used to be a joke in the East Block.

Dear Radio Yerevan, will there be a World War III?

No, but there will be such a struggle for peace that nothing will be left standing.

28.02.2026 19:04 β€” πŸ‘ 45    πŸ” 8    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
PENGUIN & CLASSICS
AN ENTIRE FRAT SETS SAIL TO STEAL THE WORLD'S
FANCIEST COAT

PENGUIN & CLASSICS AN ENTIRE FRAT SETS SAIL TO STEAL THE WORLD'S FANCIEST COAT

Jason is, admittedly, very on brand.

27.02.2026 18:03 β€” πŸ‘ 181    πŸ” 33    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 2

The post-apocalypse tv series have ruined our ability to understand who will actually fare well after a major societal crisis.

27.02.2026 10:08 β€” πŸ‘ 11    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 1

Looking forward to what ChatGPT makes out of the natures of Christ.

26.02.2026 07:30 β€” πŸ‘ 12    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 3    πŸ“Œ 0

Do you want to get another schism? Because this is how you get another schism

26.02.2026 07:29 β€” πŸ‘ 45    πŸ” 6    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 1
A snippet of a painting of Christ at Capel-y-Ffin by David Jones. Shows mountains and the chapel at the house.

A snippet of a painting of Christ at Capel-y-Ffin by David Jones. Shows mountains and the chapel at the house.

Ninth-century Evington bronze brooch, with a cross design and four quadrants of dragon-y interlace

Ninth-century Evington bronze brooch, with a cross design and four quadrants of dragon-y interlace

The decorated engraved back of the tear-drop shaped gold Alfred Jewel (ninth century)

The decorated engraved back of the tear-drop shaped gold Alfred Jewel (ninth century)

The gold Alfred Jewel, with a dragon terminal, and enamel face of a man holding two floriate staves

The gold Alfred Jewel, with a dragon terminal, and enamel face of a man holding two floriate staves

Really enjoyed giving a talk on Old English poetry, David Jones, Denise Levertov, and Ruth Bidgood at the Oxford English Medieval Seminar today. Thanks to a lovely audience for the feedback. Rewarded myself with the Alfred Jewel and Evington Brooch @ashmoleanmuseum.bsky.social

24.02.2026 16:44 β€” πŸ‘ 29    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 1
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This has been a slog but I’m pleased to day that I’m currently checking the proofs, which means this book will soon be out in the wild!

23.02.2026 09:01 β€” πŸ‘ 247    πŸ” 61    πŸ’¬ 11    πŸ“Œ 3

non mihi prima haec rodeo est

22.02.2026 04:49 β€” πŸ‘ 131    πŸ” 23    πŸ’¬ 3    πŸ“Œ 1
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Finally finished this excellent book by @garethdennis.uk, highly recommended to all interested in modern society! It got me thinking how do people doing infrastructures now and in the premodern period can have a conversation? There is clearly loads to talk about here, many similar observations.

21.02.2026 19:53 β€” πŸ‘ 38    πŸ” 5    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 1
A tool is always intrinsically simple, however elaborate its mechanisms may be, but a work of art, which is a complex of many stages and levels of crisscrossed intentions, is always intrinsically complicated, however simple its effect may seem.

A tool is always intrinsically simple, however elaborate its mechanisms may be, but a work of art, which is a complex of many stages and levels of crisscrossed intentions, is always intrinsically complicated, however simple its effect may seem.

Not all that Kubler wrote has stood the test of time (pun intended) but this is perhaps the most fitting diagnosis of creative endeavors for the times of AI

21.02.2026 11:39 β€” πŸ‘ 22    πŸ” 4    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Schließung des Instituts für ArchÀologie an der HU-Berlin Die ArchÀologie gehârt seit fast 200 Jahren zur wissenschaftlichen Tradition der Humboldt-UniversitÀt. Ihre Schließung bedeutet den Abbruch einer gewachsenen Forschungstradition und eine dauerhafte Sc...

The Institute for Archaeology at the Humboldt University of Berlin is threatened with closure and with it a two-century long tradition of archaeological research that shaped the entire discipline. Please sign the petition to oppose this plan: weact.campact.de/petitions/sc...

#medievalsky

21.02.2026 09:44 β€” πŸ‘ 41    πŸ” 16    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 0

vienna: escalators move fast

munich: escalators move slow

berlin: what do you mean an escalator that 'moves'

21.02.2026 08:40 β€” πŸ‘ 31    πŸ” 3    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

the stemma codicum of any texts that survive the Digital Dark Ages will be like

[original]
|
[uploaded PDF]
| |
wikipedia chatgpt
redaction summary
| |
chatgpt |
summary ---- Papyrus
of wikipedia nukecraterus N. 47

18.02.2026 15:04 β€” πŸ‘ 72    πŸ” 26    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 1

12. Sommerkurs PalΓ€ographie. Lateinische Schrift in Heidelberg.
Der Kurs vermittelt die Grundlagen aus zwei Jahrtausenden Schriftgeschichte (Datierung, Lokalisierung & Lesekompetenz). Wir freuen uns auf die Bewerbungen (bis 31.05.2026) πŸ“–
#medievalsky

17.02.2026 15:17 β€” πŸ‘ 16    πŸ” 16    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
A screen snip. At the top is a sentence pointing out that the Northern Line tube line closely follows the route of the Roman Road, Stane Street. Beneath are two maps, on the left Stane street is shown with settlements including Morden, Tooting, Clapham and Kennington marked. On the right is another map with the modern northern line shown. All of the settlements on the stane street map are duplicated on the tube map.

A screen snip. At the top is a sentence pointing out that the Northern Line tube line closely follows the route of the Roman Road, Stane Street. Beneath are two maps, on the left Stane street is shown with settlements including Morden, Tooting, Clapham and Kennington marked. On the right is another map with the modern northern line shown. All of the settlements on the stane street map are duplicated on the tube map.

We've been on the Northern Line. The idea that it's 2000 years old seems completely reasonable.

17.02.2026 09:18 β€” πŸ‘ 624    πŸ” 163    πŸ’¬ 14    πŸ“Œ 15

I propose to make universal the old policy of the Blackfriars conference at the American Shakespeare Center:

If you do not end your paper on time, you will be forced to exit, pursued by a bear. Literally, a bear will come take your paper from you.

16.02.2026 01:14 β€” πŸ‘ 1628    πŸ” 567    πŸ’¬ 33    πŸ“Œ 76
A plate full of rogaliki, yeast little horns filled with strawberry marmalade

A plate full of rogaliki, yeast little horns filled with strawberry marmalade

We are baking here

14.02.2026 15:59 β€” πŸ‘ 28    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
A plate full of rogaliki, yeast little horns filled with strawberry marmalade

A plate full of rogaliki, yeast little horns filled with strawberry marmalade

We are baking here

14.02.2026 15:59 β€” πŸ‘ 28    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Great, now we also need the peer-review option and every post by an academic will be delayed by two to three years (or just desk-rejected by the moderation team).

10.02.2026 21:48 β€” πŸ‘ 29    πŸ” 7    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 0

Great, now we also need the peer-review option and every post by an academic will be delayed by two to three years (or just desk-rejected by the moderation team).

10.02.2026 21:48 β€” πŸ‘ 29    πŸ” 7    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 0
Leeds Institute for Medieval Studies Research Seminar poster that says

Elaine Treharne (Stanford): Small Details, Big Data: Male and Female Scribal Communities in a Thirteenth-century Mortuary Roll

Key words: Professional scribes in the Middle Ages. Women scribes and women’s literacy. Handwriting. Layout, punctuation, abbreviation, style, and decoration. Digital tools for β€˜everyday writing’. Communities of literacy.

Tuesday 10 February, 5.30 pm, Laidlaw Library, University of Leeds, Level 1 Seminar Room (hybrid)
To attend both online and in-person please register at https://forms.office.com/e/iP5qRb5GSk

Leeds Institute for Medieval Studies Research Seminar poster that says Elaine Treharne (Stanford): Small Details, Big Data: Male and Female Scribal Communities in a Thirteenth-century Mortuary Roll Key words: Professional scribes in the Middle Ages. Women scribes and women’s literacy. Handwriting. Layout, punctuation, abbreviation, style, and decoration. Digital tools for β€˜everyday writing’. Communities of literacy. Tuesday 10 February, 5.30 pm, Laidlaw Library, University of Leeds, Level 1 Seminar Room (hybrid) To attend both online and in-person please register at https://forms.office.com/e/iP5qRb5GSk

All welcome to our next research seminar. Elaine Treharne (Stanford) on handwriting, women scribes, digital tools and manuscripts. 10 February 5.30 pm GMT, Laidlaw Library (hybrid). To register: forms.office.com/e/iP5qRb5GSk #medieval #manuscripts #palaeography #digitalhumanities

05.02.2026 17:43 β€” πŸ‘ 37    πŸ” 12    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 2
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Marc Bloch, historien et rΓ©sistant juif, entrera au PanthΓ©on le 23Β juin La date du 16Β juin avait Γ©tΓ© dans un premier temps pressentie pour son entrΓ©e au PanthΓ©on, mais la cΓ©rΓ©monie a dΓ» Γͺtre dΓ©calΓ©e de quelques jours en raison du G7 Γ  Evian-les-Bains.

Marc Bloch, historien et rΓ©sistant juif, entrera au PanthΓ©on le 23Β juin

08.02.2026 18:00 β€” πŸ‘ 279    πŸ” 105    πŸ’¬ 9    πŸ“Œ 20
Programme of Digital Digesta. Interpretation of Legal Codes and Data Structuring and handout of first talk

Programme of Digital Digesta. Interpretation of Legal Codes and Data Structuring and handout of first talk

Such an honour to be at Nagoya University for this fabulous event, talking about a project I am conducting @dependencybonn.de using data from Connecting Late Antiquities

08.02.2026 04:27 β€” πŸ‘ 13    πŸ” 4    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Facsimile narratives: Researching the past in the age of digital reproduction Taking a cue from the reflections and contributions made by manuscript, archival and historical studies, this paper proposes a new approach to the methodology of digital facsimiles. It asks how we res...

But of course!

works.hcommons.org/records/91sg...

08.02.2026 10:42 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Facsimile narratives: Researching the past in the age of digital reproduction Abstract. Taking a cue from the reflections and contributions made by manuscript, archival and historical studies, this paper proposes a new approach to th

"Data in itself is not knowledge. Even the greatest concentration of data will not on its own bring us closer to getting to know the past. Concentrating data does not write history." I wrote this five years ago and it is more relevant then ever in the age of AI.

academic.oup.com/dsh/article-...

29.01.2026 13:14 β€” πŸ‘ 50    πŸ” 17    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 2
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Cabbage rolls stuffed with buckwheat, potato, and twarΓ³g cheese, baked in cream tomato sauce and sprinkled with buckwheat popcorn.

07.02.2026 17:57 β€” πŸ‘ 18    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 1
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Charles West gives the Society's annual medieval lecture on European queenship - RHS On Friday 6 February the Society hosted the first lecture in its 2026 programme. Our great thanks to Professor Charles West (University of Edinburgh) who spoke on: β€˜"Alike in Appearance but not in Sco...

Our great thanks to Professor Charles West for his excellent Society lecture yesterday evening: β€˜β€Alike in Appearance but not in Scope”: Queens and the Making of Medieval Europe’ bit.ly/4tluezd

The recording of Charles's lecture will be available shortly.
@pseudo-isidore.bsky.social #Skystorians

07.02.2026 07:49 β€” πŸ‘ 61    πŸ” 17    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 1

This is important on so many fronts but I just wanted to highlight one: we do find new texts from late antiquity even if rarely!

06.02.2026 16:27 β€” πŸ‘ 13    πŸ” 6    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0