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Welcome to my blog!
Hello, my name is Tristan and I'm a first-year history PhD researcher at Oxford.
The aim of this blog is to share my research and wider history on the early medieval world, help give any advice on applying to university and explaining about Oxford, and generally expanding engagement with the Humanities.
So if you fall under any of those categories, why not fill out the subscription box below to stay up to date.
Crossing Boundaries - Insular metalwork in 'Viking' Scandinavia
How did the Insular metalwork that we find in 'Viking Age' Scandinavia get there? What might the social and cultural significance of...
An Oxford Historian
May 1, 20224 min read
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The 'Viking' World - Artefact Database
The Swedish History Museum in Stockholm hosts the world's largest collection of Viking artefacts, which tell an impressive story of life,...
An Oxford Historian
Dec 21, 20211 min read
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'Viking' Nicknames in Landnámabók - my first publication!
Last year I attended the 10th Háskóli Íslands Student Conference on the Medieval North. Based in Iceland's capital Reykjavik, this...
An Oxford Historian
Nov 29, 20211 min read
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The 'Viking' Settlement of Northumbria: Large and Archaeologically Distinctive, or Invisible?
Contrasting views of the Scandinavian settlement of the Northumbrian 'Danelaw' have emerged in the historiography of the period....
An Oxford Historian
Nov 24, 202122 min read
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'Viking' Lead Trade Weights
This week, in a repurposing of my Masters Degree dissertation, we have a look at the trade weights used by the Vikings. Often found by...
An Oxford Historian
Oct 29, 202113 min read
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Vikings in the Americas in AD1021, study finds
The presence of the Vikings in the Americas has always been a long-contested topic. Although Saga and archaeological evidence suggest ...
An Oxford Historian
Oct 20, 20212 min read
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Archaeology - A Beginner's Recommended Reading List
Archaeology is a fascinating subject, but is often quite difficult to get into. There's an awful lot of complex jargon associated with...
An Oxford Historian
Oct 1, 20215 min read
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'New'/Processual Archaeology - an introduction
This week, I thought I'd run through the beginnings of a broader introduction to archaeological theory I have planned. The focus here is...
An Oxford Historian
Sep 24, 202113 min read
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The Viking Society for Northern Research
This week we're looking at the wonderful Viking Society for Northern Research, a society founded in 1892 to further the study of the...
An Oxford Historian
Aug 20, 20212 min read
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The Yale Early Medieval Lecture Series
Occasionally, you come across a resource that is so incredibly good, it amazes you that it's free. The Yale Early Medieval Lecture Series...
An Oxford Historian
Aug 7, 20211 min read
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Top 10 'Viking' Videogames
What are the best Viking videogames for PC, XBox and Playstation? What can they teach us about the history and myth of the Vikings?...
An Oxford Historian
Jul 25, 20214 min read
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The 'Vikings' - 'culture-sponges'
Far from the aloof ethnic group envisioned by historical misuse, the 'Vikings' show a consistent trend towards assimilation within other...
An Oxford Historian
Jul 11, 20215 min read
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St Anskar, 'Apostle of the North'
This week we look at the Vita Ansgarii, the Life of Anskar - a hagiographical account of the Frankish mission to convert the 'Vikings' in...
An Oxford Historian
Jul 5, 20213 min read
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Ibn Fadlan and the Rus
What can the writings of a traveller of the Caliphate tell us about the Rus, an elusive and largely invisible set of 'Viking' settlers in...
An Oxford Historian
Jun 20, 20215 min read
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River Kings by Cat Jarman: A Review
Cat Jarman's new book River Kings is a huge triumph, not only for the study of the Vikings in England more broadly, but for the...
An Oxford Historian
Jun 14, 20213 min read
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Nickname of the Week - Onund 'Treefoot'
The second installment in the Nickname of the Week series we take a look at Onund 'Treefoot', a disabled Viking from the Sagas, whose...
An Oxford Historian
Jun 13, 20212 min read
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Deconstructing the Echo Chamber - why arguing with the ridiculous is important
In my line of study, you end up coming across a broad range of very unpalatable opinions. The 'Anglo-Saxons' and 'Vikings' are tied up...
An Oxford Historian
Jun 9, 20214 min read
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'Vikings' in the Danelaw - an Archaeological Footprint
Did the 'Vikings' leave an archaeologically identifiable footprint in England when they settled? Can we excavate those remains and find...
An Oxford Historian
May 2, 202110 min read
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Rude 'Viking' Nicknames
'Viking' nicknames are often shocking and offensive to the modern reader. In a continuation from previous articles, here are a number of...
An Oxford Historian
May 1, 20213 min read
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Icelandic 'Viking' Nicknames - My First Conference Paper
This last week I was fortunate enough to give a presentation at The Háskóli Íslands Student Conference on the Medieval North, a wonderful...
An Oxford Historian
Apr 21, 20211 min read
1,665
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