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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.
An Oxford Historian
Jun 4, 20222 min read
Boyo-wulf: Beowulf in Cork Slang
Beowulf's fame in modern culture has led to its constant reinterpretation through the process of translation. Each translation is the...
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An Oxford Historian
Jun 4, 20225 min read
What can nicknames tell us about history?
Recently, St Cross College ran their yearly history prize. This involved, among other things, producing a plain English explanation of...
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An Oxford Historian
May 22, 20222 min read
Electronic Beowulf
A wonderful resource for exploring the manuscript culture behind the single surviving version of the epic poem Beowulf. This week I...
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An Oxford Historian
May 17, 20222 min read
Key to English Place-Names
One of the crucial aspects of historical onomastics is the question of place-names - how did places get their names, why have some names...
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An Oxford Historian
May 1, 20224 min read
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...
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An Oxford Historian
Apr 24, 20222 min read
Bayeux Tapestry Online - resource
The best (and free!) resource to explore the Bayeux Tapestry, the Bayeux Museum's website provides a wonderful chance to explore the work...
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An Oxford Historian
Apr 23, 20221 min read
Nicknames of 'Disability' in Early Medieval England
Last term I attended a confernce put on by the American Names Society to present a paper based on my current PhD work on early medieval...
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An Oxford Historian
Mar 27, 20224 min read
'Anglo-Saxon' boat burials - why?
The burial at Sutton Hoo Mound 1 is England's most famous archaeological site, and contains a body buried in a magnificent ship. But why...
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An Oxford Historian
Mar 25, 20223 min read
The Gladstone Link | Library Review
The punishment of the sins of historians, the Gladstone Link combines all the worst features of Oxford's libraries into one gloriously...
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An Oxford Historian
Feb 21, 20223 min read
Westfield Farm - a high-status 'Anglo-Saxon' female burial
The Westfield Farm (Ely) cemetery represents a crucial yet under-appreciated piece of 'Anglo-Saxon' funerary archaeology - a cemetery...
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An Oxford Historian
Jan 28, 20222 min read
Old English Poetry in Fascimile
After a hiatus, we're returning to a weekly series highlighting a set of resources to learn about early medieval England. This week we...
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An Oxford Historian
Dec 21, 20211 min read
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,...
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An Oxford Historian
Dec 13, 20217 min read
Oxbridge History Interviews - tips and advice
This year's interviews are drawing to an end, and so I thought I'd write up some of the advice I compiled this year for people asking...
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An Oxford Historian
Nov 29, 20211 min read
'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...
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An Oxford Historian
Nov 24, 202122 min read
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....
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An Oxford Historian
Nov 15, 20213 min read
Monty Python and the Holy Grail: A Review
★★★★★ The classic Arthurian comedy, Monty Python and the Holy Grail remains as strong today as ever. Its wild historical accuracy is a...
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An Oxford Historian
Nov 15, 20214 min read
Hamilton: A Review
★★★★☆ The smash-hit musical made available to the world, Hamilton tells the story of the ill-fated founding father through hip-hop. But...
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An Oxford Historian
Nov 12, 20213 min read
Apollo 11: A Review
★★★★★ Apollo 11 provides a breath-taking look back at the mission to put a man on the moon. Composed of remastered contemporary footage,...
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An Oxford Historian
Nov 11, 20213 min read
Secrets of the Saqqara Tomb: A Review
★★★★☆ A must-watch for archaeology enthusiasts, or anyone with a love of the history of Egypt, this stunningly-shot documentary takes us...
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An Oxford Historian
Nov 11, 20213 min read
The Dig: A Review
★★★★☆ Beautifully shot and movingly emotional, The Dig is an impressive example of how the process of history and archaeology can be...
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