Simon Coupland
@scoupland.bsky.social
FRHistS, lover of Carolingian coinage, Vikings, Jesus and my wife and daughter, though not necessarily in that order
A second Thor's hammer find this year in Østfold (Norway)
November 26, 2025 at 1:23 PM
A second Thor's hammer find this year in Østfold (Norway)
For you fans of Roman history and numismatics out there - exciting stuff!
À Senon (Meuse), une fouille menée par l'Inrap a notamment révélé des dépôts monétaires antiques et mis au jour une large portion d’un quartier d'habitation antique peu connu.
Vidéo complète 👉 www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrSX...
Vidéo complète 👉 www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrSX...
November 26, 2025 at 10:01 AM
For you fans of Roman history and numismatics out there - exciting stuff!
Environmental DNA evidence of settlement in Iceland from c. 810 rather than the 870s - and much more besides. Summarised in the New Scientist but that's behind a paywall. Here's the original research.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org
November 23, 2025 at 12:20 PM
Environmental DNA evidence of settlement in Iceland from c. 810 rather than the 870s - and much more besides. Summarised in the New Scientist but that's behind a paywall. Here's the original research.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
For #FindsFriday one of the coins from the Skumsnes hoard from western Norway - 7 Carolingian, all Louis the Pious Christians religio (most from Melle), 2 early Danish and this one of Ecgberht of Wessex, (802-839), Rochester mint. A very rare and exciting find!
November 21, 2025 at 1:24 PM
For #FindsFriday one of the coins from the Skumsnes hoard from western Norway - 7 Carolingian, all Louis the Pious Christians religio (most from Melle), 2 early Danish and this one of Ecgberht of Wessex, (802-839), Rochester mint. A very rare and exciting find!
Just out - now you can download it. A look at what caused Dorestad's downfall (not the usual suspects), what the Frisians did next, and where silver then came from in the 10th century.
After Dorestad: silver and gold in Carolingian Frisia, 850-950
works.hcommons.org/records/mptd...
After Dorestad: silver and gold in Carolingian Frisia, 850-950
works.hcommons.org/records/mptd...
After Dorestad: silver and gold in Carolingian Frisia, 850-950
The break-up of the Carolingian empire and a subsequent collapse in long-distance trade led to Dorestad's demise as an emporium (not the silting of the river or Viking attacks as have previously been ...
works.hcommons.org
November 20, 2025 at 5:58 PM
Just out - now you can download it. A look at what caused Dorestad's downfall (not the usual suspects), what the Frisians did next, and where silver then came from in the 10th century.
After Dorestad: silver and gold in Carolingian Frisia, 850-950
works.hcommons.org/records/mptd...
After Dorestad: silver and gold in Carolingian Frisia, 850-950
works.hcommons.org/records/mptd...
Another article uploaded - an important analysis of the many new coin finds from the Carolingian period in the Netherlands and what they reveal about 9th-century history.
Coins and Vikings: On the trail of the Scandinavians in Frisia
works.hcommons.org/records/6fym...
Coins and Vikings: On the trail of the Scandinavians in Frisia
works.hcommons.org/records/6fym...
Coins and Vikings: On the trail of the Scandinavians in Frisia
Coin finds suggest that in the ninth century the northern Dutch provinces – Friesland above all, but also Noord-Holland, Groningen and Drenthe – were different not only from the rest of Francia, but a...
works.hcommons.org
November 20, 2025 at 5:55 PM
Another article uploaded - an important analysis of the many new coin finds from the Carolingian period in the Netherlands and what they reveal about 9th-century history.
Coins and Vikings: On the trail of the Scandinavians in Frisia
works.hcommons.org/records/6fym...
Coins and Vikings: On the trail of the Scandinavians in Frisia
works.hcommons.org/records/6fym...
Interested in early medieval history? Read the proceedings of the latest Dorestad conference online FREE here, including my chapter about gold and silver in Frisia after Dorestad's disappearance in the 850s. For a .pdf of my chapter, DM/email me. #medievalsky
www.sidestone.com/books/dorest...
www.sidestone.com/books/dorest...
Dorestad and Everything After @ Sidestone Press
Dorestad was the largest town of the Low Countries in the Carolingian era. As an inland port on the edge of the Frankish Empire, it functioned as an international hub, connecting the North Sea World w...
www.sidestone.com
November 17, 2025 at 2:48 PM
Interested in early medieval history? Read the proceedings of the latest Dorestad conference online FREE here, including my chapter about gold and silver in Frisia after Dorestad's disappearance in the 850s. For a .pdf of my chapter, DM/email me. #medievalsky
www.sidestone.com/books/dorest...
www.sidestone.com/books/dorest...
Reposted by Simon Coupland
www.sidestone.com/books/dorest...
Delighted to share that the proceedings of the Fourth Dorestad Congress are out now, available to read for free online!
This was a great conference to be a part of during Jan 2024, w/ @amwillemsen.bsky.social @scoupland.bsky.social @ccooijmans.bsky.social !
Delighted to share that the proceedings of the Fourth Dorestad Congress are out now, available to read for free online!
This was a great conference to be a part of during Jan 2024, w/ @amwillemsen.bsky.social @scoupland.bsky.social @ccooijmans.bsky.social !
Dorestad and Everything After @ Sidestone Press
Dorestad was the largest town of the Low Countries in the Carolingian era. As an inland port on the edge of the Frankish Empire, it functioned as an international hub, connecting the North Sea World w...
www.sidestone.com
November 17, 2025 at 12:18 PM
www.sidestone.com/books/dorest...
Delighted to share that the proceedings of the Fourth Dorestad Congress are out now, available to read for free online!
This was a great conference to be a part of during Jan 2024, w/ @amwillemsen.bsky.social @scoupland.bsky.social @ccooijmans.bsky.social !
Delighted to share that the proceedings of the Fourth Dorestad Congress are out now, available to read for free online!
This was a great conference to be a part of during Jan 2024, w/ @amwillemsen.bsky.social @scoupland.bsky.social @ccooijmans.bsky.social !
Uploaded: "The Zuidbarge and Zuidlaren hoards of 1860 and the Italian coinage of the late ninth century" (NC 2023) works.hcommons.org/records/mefb...
The Zuidbarge and Zuidlaren hoards of 1860 and the Italian coinage of the late ninth century
In early 1860 two late ninth-century coin hoards, both consisting primarily of large-flan Italian deniers, turned up in the eastern Dutch province of Drenthe. The similarity of the two deposits soon l...
works.hcommons.org
November 14, 2025 at 9:06 PM
Uploaded: "The Zuidbarge and Zuidlaren hoards of 1860 and the Italian coinage of the late ninth century" (NC 2023) works.hcommons.org/records/mefb...
For #FindsFriday Scandinavian objects found at Wijk bij Duurstede (Dorestad) - unsurprising given the importance of trade with Scandinavia, and Danish rule over the site for lengthy periods. Pictures: Rijksmuseum van Oudheden Leiden (RMO)
November 14, 2025 at 3:22 PM
For #FindsFriday Scandinavian objects found at Wijk bij Duurstede (Dorestad) - unsurprising given the importance of trade with Scandinavia, and Danish rule over the site for lengthy periods. Pictures: Rijksmuseum van Oudheden Leiden (RMO)
Delighted to have two chapters in this new volume, Frankish Seats of Power and the North, just published: schnell-und-steiner.de/produkt/fran...
Frankish Seats of Power and the North - Centres Between Diplomacy and Confrontation, Transfer of Knowledge and Economy. Proceedings of the International Conference on »Frankish Seats of Power and the ...
Seats of power were among the most important pillars of dominion in the Middle Ages. They were in the centre of diplomatic exchange and confrontation, shaped the transfer of knowledge, and acted as co...
schnell-und-steiner.de
November 14, 2025 at 9:45 AM
Delighted to have two chapters in this new volume, Frankish Seats of Power and the North, just published: schnell-und-steiner.de/produkt/fran...
Food in Pompeii - happy memories of an amazing place
November 13, 2025 at 11:38 AM
Food in Pompeii - happy memories of an amazing place
A fascinating article on how it is that AI (and Google) are making us dumber rather than smarter.
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Are we living in a golden age of stupidity?
From brain-rotting videos to AI creep, every technological advance seems to make it harder to work, remember, think and function independently …
www.theguardian.com
November 12, 2025 at 8:37 AM
A fascinating article on how it is that AI (and Google) are making us dumber rather than smarter.
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Always love to get a new set of proofs! But it's still embarrassing to find typos in text that you had read and reread umpteen times! 😳🤓
November 8, 2025 at 7:59 AM
Always love to get a new set of proofs! But it's still embarrassing to find typos in text that you had read and reread umpteen times! 😳🤓
For #FindsFriday a sneak preview of my article in the next Numismatic Chronicle on Carolingian hoards from Drenthe (NL). This is the Balloo hoard of 1855 (just nos 1-5), 1 Dorestad coin of Lothar I and four Christiana religio coins of Louis the Pious Group S2, attributed to Saxony.
November 7, 2025 at 12:47 PM
For #FindsFriday a sneak preview of my article in the next Numismatic Chronicle on Carolingian hoards from Drenthe (NL). This is the Balloo hoard of 1855 (just nos 1-5), 1 Dorestad coin of Lothar I and four Christiana religio coins of Louis the Pious Group S2, attributed to Saxony.
Fascinating! #medievalsky #vikings
📰 'More than just jewellery': new insights into #Viking miniature metal figurines
#AntiquityResearch #ArchaeologyNews via @uniofleicester.bsky.social
le.ac.uk/news/2025/oc...
#AntiquityResearch #ArchaeologyNews via @uniofleicester.bsky.social
le.ac.uk/news/2025/oc...
Viking figurines were ‘more than just jewellery’, and were used and handled in a variety of ways, including long-term curation, 'decapitation', and attached to Christian artefacts | News | University of Leicester
In Viking archaeology, the study of miniature metal figurines -- possibly depicting Norse gods and mythological beings -- have been central to...
le.ac.uk
November 4, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Fascinating! #medievalsky #vikings
For lovers of things Roman...
À Auxerre (Yonne), une fouille menée par l'Inrap a révélé une vaste villa gallo-romaine occupée du Ier au IVᵉ siècle.
Vidéo complète 👉 youtu.be/B64u7hXKfiE?...
Vidéo complète 👉 youtu.be/B64u7hXKfiE?...
November 4, 2025 at 3:53 PM
For lovers of things Roman...
A fabulous short film on some of the wooden secrets of the Gokstad ship (sorry, it seems to be only on Facebook). In Norwegian but with English subtitles www.facebook.com/reel/1490598...
4.9K views · 153 reactions | Hanne's favourite Viking Age object isn't made of gold—it's a footprint. This simple carving tells a deeply human story about life on the Gokstad ship. Meet archaeologist ...
Hanne's favourite Viking Age object isn't made of gold—it's a footprint. This simple carving tells a deeply human story about life on the Gokstad ship. Meet archaeologist and Collection Manager...
www.facebook.com
November 3, 2025 at 7:23 PM
A fabulous short film on some of the wooden secrets of the Gokstad ship (sorry, it seems to be only on Facebook). In Norwegian but with English subtitles www.facebook.com/reel/1490598...
Reposted by Simon Coupland
Happy to report that our book 'Local Priests in the Latin West, 900-1050' has been published! It is Open Access, so you can read (or download) it here: doi.org/10.1017/9781...
November 3, 2025 at 10:04 AM
Happy to report that our book 'Local Priests in the Latin West, 900-1050' has been published! It is Open Access, so you can read (or download) it here: doi.org/10.1017/9781...
Delighted to add this article to my publications available to download:
Who ruled Frisia in the mid-ninth century? works.hcommons.org/records/n3a9...
Who ruled Frisia in the mid-ninth century? works.hcommons.org/records/n3a9...
Who ruled Frisia in the mid-ninth century?
An important article setting out the reasons for retaining the traditional view that Lothar I and II ruled the whole of Frisia between 840 and 869, from the Sincfal to the Weser, not just the western ...
works.hcommons.org
November 2, 2025 at 10:08 PM
Delighted to add this article to my publications available to download:
Who ruled Frisia in the mid-ninth century? works.hcommons.org/records/n3a9...
Who ruled Frisia in the mid-ninth century? works.hcommons.org/records/n3a9...
13th century statues destroyed in the early 18th century 📸 INRAP www.inrap.fr/les-archeolo...
October 31, 2025 at 12:02 PM
13th century statues destroyed in the early 18th century 📸 INRAP www.inrap.fr/les-archeolo...
Astonishing finds from the excavations at Notre Dame in Paris!
www.inrap.fr/les-archeolo...
www.inrap.fr/les-archeolo...
October 31, 2025 at 11:42 AM
Astonishing finds from the excavations at Notre Dame in Paris!
www.inrap.fr/les-archeolo...
www.inrap.fr/les-archeolo...
For #FindsFriday the Bredfield Brooch, solid silver weighing 36g, found in 2009. The Anglo-Scandinavian Urnes style of decoration dates it to the second half of the 11th century. It's on display in the newly refurbished Norwich Castle. 📸 My own.
October 31, 2025 at 11:14 AM
For #FindsFriday the Bredfield Brooch, solid silver weighing 36g, found in 2009. The Anglo-Scandinavian Urnes style of decoration dates it to the second half of the 11th century. It's on display in the newly refurbished Norwich Castle. 📸 My own.
Reposted by Simon Coupland
New on History for Atheists: my long awaited and rather long critical review of Alice Roberts' new book *Domination*:
historyforatheists.com/2025/10/revi...
historyforatheists.com/2025/10/revi...
October 30, 2025 at 9:08 PM
New on History for Atheists: my long awaited and rather long critical review of Alice Roberts' new book *Domination*:
historyforatheists.com/2025/10/revi...
historyforatheists.com/2025/10/revi...
Here is the answer to my conundrum over whether to order hardback or .pdf! With postage, still only £50. One very happy academic reader 🤓 Order yours today! #medievalsky #vikings
To mark the launch of Colmán Etchingham's Vikings in Early Medieval Ireland, Boydell & Brewer are offering a **65%** discount on the book until the end of November. Enter the code BB158 when ordering it from their website (individual not institutional orders):
boydellandbrewer.com/book/vikings...
boydellandbrewer.com/book/vikings...
October 29, 2025 at 8:46 PM
Here is the answer to my conundrum over whether to order hardback or .pdf! With postage, still only £50. One very happy academic reader 🤓 Order yours today! #medievalsky #vikings