Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Simon John @simonajohn.bsky.social · Jul 29

Swansea - in fact right in front of the university - during the recent heatwave. That flaming yellow thing in the sky seems to have vanished again...

Simon John @simonajohn.bsky.social · Jul 29

The First Crusade would be a pretty good cliffhanger upon which to end... #justsayin

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Simon John @simonajohn.bsky.social · Jul 18

Submitted to the publisher this morning: 'Contested Histories: Global Perspectives on the Past, Present and Future of Public Monuments', edited by myself, @tomasirish.bsky.social and Hannah Lyons. Could also have been titled 'Colston Five Years On' @swanseahistory.bsky.social

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Simon John @simonajohn.bsky.social · Jul 15

One for the Hildegard of Bingen fans out there!

www.theguardian.com/music/2025/j...

‘The perfect accompaniment to life’: why is a 12th-century nun the hottest name in experimental music?

A mystic who turned visions into beautiful chants, Hildegard von Bingen has inspired everyone from Grimes to David Lynch. Musicians including Julia Holter explain the hold she has on them

www.theguardian.com

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Simon John @simonajohn.bsky.social · Jul 15

#OTD in 1099 the armies of the First Crusade captured Jerusalem, killing thousands as they did so - a fateful event with repercussions stretching down to the present. This is how one C19th French painter imagined the scene.

E Signol's painting of the capture of Jerusalem, Palace of Versailles

Reposted by Simon John

gaposchkin.bsky.social @gaposchkin.bsky.social · Jul 12

am so thrilled to announce the publication of Beni Kedar’s beautiful and completely revelatory study of the culture of the Latin East. This book will change the landscape of our scholarship.

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Simon John @simonajohn.bsky.social · Jun 27

Me: it would be cool to get students to design an action figure of a person from history as a piece of assessment.

AI: I can do that, here's a Gerald of Wales action figure

Simon John @simonajohn.bsky.social · Jun 27

As per the blurb, his action is to wield his 'formidable power of excommunication' using his 'intimidating scroll inscribed with Latin text'. Is it too late to have 'design an action figure of a historical figure' as an assessment in our new curriculum...

www.entertainmentearth.com/product/pope...

Pope Innocent III Figure - Entertainment Earth

Buy Pope Innocent III Figure at Entertainment Earth. Mint Condition Guaranteed. FREE SHIPPING on eligible purchases. Shop now!

www.entertainmentearth.com

Reposted by Simon John

History at Swansea University @swanseahistory.bsky.social · Jun 27

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Institute of Historical Research @ihr.bsky.social · Jun 26

We’ve launched a new collection of openly accessible videos, Interviews with Historians, in which prominent 20th century historians reflect on their lives and professional practices. Access the collection here:
www.history.ac.uk/library-digi...

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Simon John @simonajohn.bsky.social · Jun 27

Like another lifetime. I still have that Ospreys shirt somewhere though.

Simon John @simonajohn.bsky.social · Jun 27

Look at that lustrous dark (i.e. non grey) mane on the guy in the front right...

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Simon John @simonajohn.bsky.social · Jun 26

Researchers in Germany have opened the tomb of Otto I (d.973) in Magdeburg Cathedral

www.wissenschaft.de/geschichte-a...

Neue Einblicke ins Grabmal Ottos des Großen

Im Magdeburger Dom ruht seit Jahrhunderten eine prägende Figur der europäischen Geschichte, Otto der Große. Jetzt haben Restaurierungsarbeiten einmalige Einb

www.wissenschaft.de

Simon John @simonajohn.bsky.social · Jun 25

While I'm disappointed that the hat of my Innocent III action figure has fallen off inside the package, I'm pleased to learn that Innocent had a shock of jet black hair.

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Reposted by Simon John

The English Historical Review @enghistrev.bsky.social · Feb 7

Matthew Stanard reviews Medievalism in Nineteenth-Century Belgium: The 1848 Monument to Godfrey of Bouillon, by Simon John

academic.oup.com/ehr/advance-... @boydellandbrewer.bsky.social

Medievalism in Nineteenth-Century Belgium: The 1848 Monument to Godfrey of Bouillon, by Simon John

This richly illustrated book reveals how elites used medievalism to strengthen the state and create a sense of nationhood in nineteenth-century Belgium. Me

academic.oup.com

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