Lari Ahokas
@ahokas.bsky.social
Doctoral researcher (History, Uni. Helsinki): medieval book history, manuscript studies, DH. Views own. He/him.
Väitöskirjatutkija (historia, Helsingin yliopisto): keskiajan kirjahistoria, käsikirjoitustutkimus, digitaaliset ihmistieteet. Näkemykset omia.
Väitöskirjatutkija (historia, Helsingin yliopisto): keskiajan kirjahistoria, käsikirjoitustutkimus, digitaaliset ihmistieteet. Näkemykset omia.
Pinned
Lari Ahokas
@ahokas.bsky.social
· Dec 14
Hello all new followers! Brief intro. Current work: reactions to 11th-c. church reform, mainly polemical texts; past: medieval communication (irfrome.org); manuscript fragments (kansalliskirjasto.fi); early modern networks (finlit.fi); academic history etc. Posts EN/FI, academic stuff, events etc.
As a network historian, I am overly fascinated by this cool social graph of Bluesky users – however, it seems to put me in the 'British Academic Historians' cluster instead of 'Finnish Progressive Professionals' like most of my Finnish compatriots. Oh well, if that's what my academic peer group is🤷♂️
February 10, 2026 at 7:20 AM
As a network historian, I am overly fascinated by this cool social graph of Bluesky users – however, it seems to put me in the 'British Academic Historians' cluster instead of 'Finnish Progressive Professionals' like most of my Finnish compatriots. Oh well, if that's what my academic peer group is🤷♂️
Allekirjoitin.
Digitaalinen itsenäisyys – Suomen seuraava kohtalonkysymys 🇫🇮
Suomi on riippuvainen yhdysvaltalaisista teknologiajäteistä. Riippuvuus ei lähitulevaisuudessa vähenny vaan syvenee.
#DigitaalinenItsenäisyys #Suomi #Kansalaisaloite
1/
Suomi on riippuvainen yhdysvaltalaisista teknologiajäteistä. Riippuvuus ei lähitulevaisuudessa vähenny vaan syvenee.
#DigitaalinenItsenäisyys #Suomi #Kansalaisaloite
1/
February 6, 2026 at 11:21 AM
Allekirjoitin.
Congratulations to Mila Oiva, newly appointed Professor of Digital Humanities at @dhssfau.bsky.social !
Onneksi olkoon Mila Oiva, vasta nimitetty digitaalisten ihmistieteiden professori Erlangen-Nürnbergin Friedrich-Alexander-yliopistossa!
Onneksi olkoon Mila Oiva, vasta nimitetty digitaalisten ihmistieteiden professori Erlangen-Nürnbergin Friedrich-Alexander-yliopistossa!
Today, I appointed Mila Oiva (University of Turku, Finland) to a Professorship in Digital Humanities at FAU, focusing on images and objects.
She studies audiovisual heritage, especially historical newsreels (e.g., Soviet Novosti Dnya and Estonian newsreels).
Welcome to FAU, Mila.
She studies audiovisual heritage, especially historical newsreels (e.g., Soviet Novosti Dnya and Estonian newsreels).
Welcome to FAU, Mila.
January 27, 2026 at 6:26 PM
Congratulations to Mila Oiva, newly appointed Professor of Digital Humanities at @dhssfau.bsky.social !
Onneksi olkoon Mila Oiva, vasta nimitetty digitaalisten ihmistieteiden professori Erlangen-Nürnbergin Friedrich-Alexander-yliopistossa!
Onneksi olkoon Mila Oiva, vasta nimitetty digitaalisten ihmistieteiden professori Erlangen-Nürnbergin Friedrich-Alexander-yliopistossa!
Reposted by Lari Ahokas
Researchers are now using proteomics analysis on historical books, discovering all sorts of proteins people left on them centuries ago. 🏺🧪
Remnants of spills on Renaissance-era textbook reveal recipes for 'curing' ailments with lizard heads and human feces
A novel biochemical analysis of a Renaissance medical text has successfully recovered centuries-old proteins that might be from lizards and hippos.
www.livescience.com
January 19, 2026 at 3:18 PM
Researchers are now using proteomics analysis on historical books, discovering all sorts of proteins people left on them centuries ago. 🏺🧪
Välillä jotain aivan muuta: @uudenajanalku.bsky.social tutkimuspäivillä puhumassa taannoisen @sksfinlit.bsky.social @katikallio.bsky.social projektin tiimoilta keskiajan hengellisen kulttuurin jatkuvuudesta vanhimmassa suomalaisessa loitsurunossa (ja siitä, miten birgittalaiset liittyvät asiaan).
January 23, 2026 at 12:47 PM
Välillä jotain aivan muuta: @uudenajanalku.bsky.social tutkimuspäivillä puhumassa taannoisen @sksfinlit.bsky.social @katikallio.bsky.social projektin tiimoilta keskiajan hengellisen kulttuurin jatkuvuudesta vanhimmassa suomalaisessa loitsurunossa (ja siitä, miten birgittalaiset liittyvät asiaan).
Reposted by Lari Ahokas
Nice bit of digital humanities here - using AI to transcribe more than 32,000 manuscripts in the space of a few months. But with two years of preparation in training the model and creating standards for automating manuscript transcription
www.inria.fr/en/comma-med...
www.inria.fr/en/comma-med...
CoMMA: thousands of medieval manuscripts finally transcribed
Transcribing thousands of medieval manuscripts by hand would be a monumental undertaking. Fortunately, researchers in computational humanities at the Inria Paris Centre have been able to automate the ...
www.inria.fr
January 9, 2026 at 12:48 PM
Nice bit of digital humanities here - using AI to transcribe more than 32,000 manuscripts in the space of a few months. But with two years of preparation in training the model and creating standards for automating manuscript transcription
www.inria.fr/en/comma-med...
www.inria.fr/en/comma-med...
Varoitus: saattaa sisältää myös keskiajan tutkijoita.
Warning: may include medievalists.
Warning: may include medievalists.
December 18, 2025 at 2:17 PM
Varoitus: saattaa sisältää myös keskiajan tutkijoita.
Warning: may include medievalists.
Warning: may include medievalists.
Kuluneella viikolla esitelmöin Medieval Materialities and Intellectualities -tutkimusryhmän #MeMI digitaalisten menetelmien työpajassa tekoälystä ja omista skripteistä tekstien uudelleenkäytön analyysissä. Lisäksi keskusteltiin digitaalisten menetelmien tulevaisuudesta keskiajan tutkimuksessa.
December 11, 2025 at 6:36 PM
Kuluneella viikolla esitelmöin Medieval Materialities and Intellectualities -tutkimusryhmän #MeMI digitaalisten menetelmien työpajassa tekoälystä ja omista skripteistä tekstien uudelleenkäytön analyysissä. Lisäksi keskusteltiin digitaalisten menetelmien tulevaisuudesta keskiajan tutkimuksessa.
Uusien professorien luennot @helsinki.fi: Digitaalisten ihmistieteiden professori Eetu Mäkelä (@jiemakel.bsky.social) luennoi tekoälyn hyödyntämisen mahdollisuuksista ja reunaehdoista monimutkaisten signaalien analysoimisessa suurissa ihmistieteellisissä tietoaineistoissa.
December 3, 2025 at 9:56 PM
Uusien professorien luennot @helsinki.fi: Digitaalisten ihmistieteiden professori Eetu Mäkelä (@jiemakel.bsky.social) luennoi tekoälyn hyödyntämisen mahdollisuuksista ja reunaehdoista monimutkaisten signaalien analysoimisessa suurissa ihmistieteellisissä tietoaineistoissa.
Vapaalla toimin mm. Helsingin tuomiokirkkoseurakunnan seurakuntaneuvoston varapuheenjohtajana. Seurakunnalle valitaan uusi kirkkoherra joulukuussa. Mielestäni paras tehtävään on terävä Raamatun tutkija ja rohkea kirkollinen keskustelija, teologian tohtori Päivi Vähäkangas. Jaa jos olet samaa mieltä!
November 26, 2025 at 10:35 AM
Vapaalla toimin mm. Helsingin tuomiokirkkoseurakunnan seurakuntaneuvoston varapuheenjohtajana. Seurakunnalle valitaan uusi kirkkoherra joulukuussa. Mielestäni paras tehtävään on terävä Raamatun tutkija ja rohkea kirkollinen keskustelija, teologian tohtori Päivi Vähäkangas. Jaa jos olet samaa mieltä!
Suomen Historiallisen Seuran 150-vuotisjuhlassa. Mielenkiintoista keskustelua pöytäseurassa digitaalisten ihmistieteiden ja tekoälyn vaikutuksesta historiantutkimuksen tulevaisuuteen sekä historiantutkimuksen yhteiskunnallisista tehtävistä.
November 22, 2025 at 11:40 PM
Suomen Historiallisen Seuran 150-vuotisjuhlassa. Mielenkiintoista keskustelua pöytäseurassa digitaalisten ihmistieteiden ja tekoälyn vaikutuksesta historiantutkimuksen tulevaisuuteen sekä historiantutkimuksen yhteiskunnallisista tehtävistä.
Reposted by Lari Ahokas
Unclear where this war profiteering plan came from or why it emerged right now, but clear that it is in every way disastrous
This is not a peace plan. It is a proposal that weakens Ukraine and divides America from Europe, preparing the way for a larger war in the future. In the meantime, it benefits unnamed Russian and American investors, at the expense of everyone else.
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
Trump Has a Recipe for War and Corruption, Not Peace
Who would benefit from the White House’s 28-point proposal for Ukraine?
www.theatlantic.com
November 22, 2025 at 10:43 PM
Unclear where this war profiteering plan came from or why it emerged right now, but clear that it is in every way disastrous
Reposted by Lari Ahokas
Out now!
The Routledge Companion to Digital Humanities, ed. Constance Crompton, @raysiemens.bsky.social , Richard J. Lane, and myself
And better yet? It's #openaccess!
www.taylorfrancis.com/books/oa-edi...
Order hard copies here: www.routledge.com/The-Companio...
Thanks to all contributors! 🎉
The Routledge Companion to Digital Humanities, ed. Constance Crompton, @raysiemens.bsky.social , Richard J. Lane, and myself
And better yet? It's #openaccess!
www.taylorfrancis.com/books/oa-edi...
Order hard copies here: www.routledge.com/The-Companio...
Thanks to all contributors! 🎉
November 19, 2025 at 7:09 PM
Out now!
The Routledge Companion to Digital Humanities, ed. Constance Crompton, @raysiemens.bsky.social , Richard J. Lane, and myself
And better yet? It's #openaccess!
www.taylorfrancis.com/books/oa-edi...
Order hard copies here: www.routledge.com/The-Companio...
Thanks to all contributors! 🎉
The Routledge Companion to Digital Humanities, ed. Constance Crompton, @raysiemens.bsky.social , Richard J. Lane, and myself
And better yet? It's #openaccess!
www.taylorfrancis.com/books/oa-edi...
Order hard copies here: www.routledge.com/The-Companio...
Thanks to all contributors! 🎉
#uudenajanalku #vanhatkäsialat pelillistettynä. Need I say more?
✍ Introducing ✍
Sharpie, a letterform recognition game for beginner #EarlyModern #palaeography
gjhilton.github.io/Sharpie/
AKA What I Did Over Reading Week.
#skystorians I’d be so grateful if you had time to share or take a look and tell me what sucks and needs fixing.
Love g 🗃️
Sharpie, a letterform recognition game for beginner #EarlyModern #palaeography
gjhilton.github.io/Sharpie/
AKA What I Did Over Reading Week.
#skystorians I’d be so grateful if you had time to share or take a look and tell me what sucks and needs fixing.
Love g 🗃️
Sharpie
Sharpie, a letterform recognition game for apprentice Early Modern palaeographers
gjhilton.github.io
November 14, 2025 at 9:11 AM
#uudenajanalku #vanhatkäsialat pelillistettynä. Need I say more?
End of an era. Helsinki has had a uniquely vibrant student life, largely thanks to @helsinki.fi Student Union (@ylioppilaskunta.bsky.social), financed by its real estate arm, which they now have to sell to avoid bankruptcy due to investment failure in post-Covid slump. This will be a huge change.
The Student Union of the University of Helsinki is selling its city centre properties to Keva
In its meeting on 12 November 2025, HYY’s Representative Council decided to sell the New Student House, the Old Student House, Citytalo and Kaivotalo as well as Kaivokatu 12 and Hansatalo, which are p...
hyy.fi
November 13, 2025 at 9:05 AM
End of an era. Helsinki has had a uniquely vibrant student life, largely thanks to @helsinki.fi Student Union (@ylioppilaskunta.bsky.social), financed by its real estate arm, which they now have to sell to avoid bankruptcy due to investment failure in post-Covid slump. This will be a huge change.
On Tuesday I followed a seminar from National Library of Norway on the recently acquired Hagenes Codex, a small booklet containing graduale excerpts, still in its medieval sealskin (again!) limp binding. A remarkable acquisition, considering not only the binding and material, but also the format.
The Hagenes codex and the conservation of medieval manuscripts
www.nb.no
November 7, 2025 at 7:20 AM
On Tuesday I followed a seminar from National Library of Norway on the recently acquired Hagenes Codex, a small booklet containing graduale excerpts, still in its medieval sealskin (again!) limp binding. A remarkable acquisition, considering not only the binding and material, but also the format.
Reposted by Lari Ahokas
A parchment letter from 1386 was until recently the oldest evidence for the earliest ancestor of the Swedish-Finnish noble families Svinhufvud. The letter is a deed of sale through which a man called "Jønis Swinshwow" buys the manor Höjen with an adjacent farm. The upper right corner is damaged. 1/
November 4, 2025 at 12:40 PM
A parchment letter from 1386 was until recently the oldest evidence for the earliest ancestor of the Swedish-Finnish noble families Svinhufvud. The letter is a deed of sale through which a man called "Jønis Swinshwow" buys the manor Höjen with an adjacent farm. The upper right corner is damaged. 1/
Reposted by Lari Ahokas
Five years, four authors, one book. Out now (fully open access), our new book on local priests in the tenth century 🌟 www.cambridge.org/core/books/l... @jbwaagmeester.bsky.social
Local Priests in the Latin West, 900–1050
Cambridge Core - European Studies - Local Priests in the Latin West, 900–1050
www.cambridge.org
November 3, 2025 at 8:17 AM
Five years, four authors, one book. Out now (fully open access), our new book on local priests in the tenth century 🌟 www.cambridge.org/core/books/l... @jbwaagmeester.bsky.social
Mitä keskiajantutkija tekee perjantai-iltana? Esimerkiksi osallistuu @kansalliskirjasto.fi hankkeen www.kansalliskirjasto.fi/fi/projektit... laulutyöpajaan. Tällä kertaa lauloimme birgittalaisnunnien lauluja Naantalin fragmenteista upean Hilkka-Liisa Vuoren johdolla.
October 25, 2025 at 10:15 AM
Mitä keskiajantutkija tekee perjantai-iltana? Esimerkiksi osallistuu @kansalliskirjasto.fi hankkeen www.kansalliskirjasto.fi/fi/projektit... laulutyöpajaan. Tällä kertaa lauloimme birgittalaisnunnien lauluja Naantalin fragmenteista upean Hilkka-Liisa Vuoren johdolla.
Returning from the Worms Burchard conference. It's been an inspiring two days to hear about the composition and reception of Burchard's Decretum, the first #MedievalCanonLaw collection to gain wider significance, with many ideas for my current work with polemical texts from the Investiture Contest.
October 18, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Returning from the Worms Burchard conference. It's been an inspiring two days to hear about the composition and reception of Burchard's Decretum, the first #MedievalCanonLaw collection to gain wider significance, with many ideas for my current work with polemical texts from the Investiture Contest.
Heading to Worms to attend the conference "Burchard of Worms: A Bishop and His World (1000–1025)", organized by the www.burchards-dekret-digital.de project on the occasion of the millennium of his death. Very excited about the presentations and the impressive lineup!
October 16, 2025 at 4:01 AM
Heading to Worms to attend the conference "Burchard of Worms: A Bishop and His World (1000–1025)", organized by the www.burchards-dekret-digital.de project on the occasion of the millennium of his death. Very excited about the presentations and the impressive lineup!
Helsingin yliopiston Euroopan historian professori Laura Kolben jäähyväisluento "Minun Eurooppani, minun kaupunkini, minun yliopistoni". Kiitokset inspiroivalle ja oivaltavalle opettajalle ja ohjaajalle sekä ennen kaikkea akateemiselle esikuvalle!
September 18, 2025 at 2:50 PM
Helsingin yliopiston Euroopan historian professori Laura Kolben jäähyväisluento "Minun Eurooppani, minun kaupunkini, minun yliopistoni". Kiitokset inspiroivalle ja oivaltavalle opettajalle ja ohjaajalle sekä ennen kaikkea akateemiselle esikuvalle!
A very interesting resource of digitized medieval and early modern manuscripts in Sweden, with already over 1,000 manuscripts (and counting!)
We are proud to announce that 1,000 manuscripts are now published on manuscripta.se, advancing our mission to make #medieval and #earlymodern manuscripts in Sweden accessible worldwide. #iiif #MedievalManuscripts #MedievalSky
manuscripta.se – A Digital Catalogue of Medieval and Early Modern Manuscripts in Sweden — manuscripta.se A Digital Catalogue of Medieval and Early Modern Manuscripts in Sweden
manuscripta.se
September 5, 2025 at 9:35 AM
A very interesting resource of digitized medieval and early modern manuscripts in Sweden, with already over 1,000 manuscripts (and counting!)
Congratulations @dataspider.bsky.social for the ERC Starting Grant! Exciting project on computational theory of legal complexity!
Congratulations to Corinna Coupette for the 2025 ERC Starting Grant!
erc.europa.eu/news-events/...
erc.europa.eu/news-events/...
The ERC awards €761m to the next generation of scientists in Europe
The European Research Council (ERC) has selected 478 early-career researchers across Europe to receive this year’s Starting Grants. With a total funding of €761 million, these grants support excellent...
erc.europa.eu
September 4, 2025 at 2:50 PM
Congratulations @dataspider.bsky.social for the ERC Starting Grant! Exciting project on computational theory of legal complexity!
Reposted by Lari Ahokas
Join us @hexhistory.bsky.social at the end of the month for the 2nd Hex Handbook Distinguished lecture, by Corinne Saunders
September 4, 2025 at 6:01 AM
Join us @hexhistory.bsky.social at the end of the month for the 2nd Hex Handbook Distinguished lecture, by Corinne Saunders