Brian Ulrich
@brianjulrich.bsky.social
Professor of History @ShippensburgU, focused on Middle East since the rise of Islam, author of The Medieval Persian Gulf (https://www.arc-humanities.org/9781802700046/the-medieval-persian-gulf/), views are my own
Pinned
Brian Ulrich
@brianjulrich.bsky.social
· Oct 13
The Medieval Persian Gulf - Arc Humanities Press
The Persian Gulf today is home to multiple cosmopolitan urban hubs of globalization. This did not start with the discovery of oil. This book tells of the Gul...
www.arc-humanities.org
My book The Medieval Persian Gulf is meant as an accessible introduction to the region's history of multiculturalism and global connections, and among other places can be ordered directly from the publisher (with affordable international shipping!)
Reposted by Brian Ulrich
So, the "Board of Peace" [sic] not only doesn't mention Gaza in particular; it proposes to make Donald Trump in particular (not the president of the United States) king of the world.
1/
reason.com/volokh/2026/...
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reason.com/volokh/2026/...
The Charter of the Board of Peace
The Times of Israel published the text of the Charter of the Board of Peace. As I suspected, this is...
reason.com
January 21, 2026 at 3:21 PM
So, the "Board of Peace" [sic] not only doesn't mention Gaza in particular; it proposes to make Donald Trump in particular (not the president of the United States) king of the world.
1/
reason.com/volokh/2026/...
1/
reason.com/volokh/2026/...
Reposted by Brian Ulrich
Not only has the State of Israel demolished the UNRWA HQ in Jerusalem, it's planning to build a massive settlement on it and the deputy mayor of Jerusalem says "with God's help, we will destroy, we will eliminate and annihilate all UNRWA personnel": www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...
Israel planning 1,400 housing units on razed East Jerusalem UNWRA site
UNRWA's Official Activity at the Site Ended About a Year Ago, Authorities Say, but the Compound Remained Unlawfully Occupied by Trespassers. With the Buildings Demolished and Squatters Evicted, Planni...
www.haaretz.com
January 20, 2026 at 6:26 PM
Not only has the State of Israel demolished the UNRWA HQ in Jerusalem, it's planning to build a massive settlement on it and the deputy mayor of Jerusalem says "with God's help, we will destroy, we will eliminate and annihilate all UNRWA personnel": www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...
Reposted by Brian Ulrich
So, Harrassowitz didn't send me a shipping notification, and USPS never gave me a failed delivery notice, but this is at last in my hands a few weeks late!
This monograph is a wonderful 880 page, 1.6kg brick, and my Winter Break ends tomorrow, but I'll do my best...
#Sasanian
#Zoroastrianism
This monograph is a wonderful 880 page, 1.6kg brick, and my Winter Break ends tomorrow, but I'll do my best...
#Sasanian
#Zoroastrianism
January 20, 2026 at 5:18 PM
So, Harrassowitz didn't send me a shipping notification, and USPS never gave me a failed delivery notice, but this is at last in my hands a few weeks late!
This monograph is a wonderful 880 page, 1.6kg brick, and my Winter Break ends tomorrow, but I'll do my best...
#Sasanian
#Zoroastrianism
This monograph is a wonderful 880 page, 1.6kg brick, and my Winter Break ends tomorrow, but I'll do my best...
#Sasanian
#Zoroastrianism
Reposted by Brian Ulrich
A remarkable new low for Kuwait: the revocation of citizenship from its serving ambassador to London marks a rare and alarming departure that has reverberated through diplomatic circles. www.newarab.com/news/kuwait-...
Kuwait revokes citizenship of its serving ambassador to London
Kuwait has revoked the citizenship of its serving ambassador to London in a rare move that has sent shockwaves through diplomatic circles.
www.newarab.com
January 19, 2026 at 8:47 PM
A remarkable new low for Kuwait: the revocation of citizenship from its serving ambassador to London marks a rare and alarming departure that has reverberated through diplomatic circles. www.newarab.com/news/kuwait-...
Reposted by Brian Ulrich
A brief and useful overview: The #Jews in Late Antiquity, by Rodrigo Laham Cohen
The Jews in Late Antiquity - Arc Humanities Press
Is it possible to summarize the history of the Jews in late antiquity? The lack of source material makes it challenging, but this short book provides a brief...
www.arc-humanities.org
January 17, 2026 at 5:43 PM
A brief and useful overview: The #Jews in Late Antiquity, by Rodrigo Laham Cohen
Reposted by Brian Ulrich
Just a tiny step in becoming slightly less dependent on US tech. I've made Ecosia my main browser. They're based in Germany plus you get trees planted by just using it.
The World can use more green.
And Greenland can use less US.
The World can use more green.
And Greenland can use less US.
Ecosia - the search engine that plants trees
Ecosia uses 100% of its profits for the planet and produces enough renewable energy to power all searches twice over.
www.ecosia.org
January 18, 2026 at 11:17 AM
Just a tiny step in becoming slightly less dependent on US tech. I've made Ecosia my main browser. They're based in Germany plus you get trees planted by just using it.
The World can use more green.
And Greenland can use less US.
The World can use more green.
And Greenland can use less US.
A brief and useful overview: The #Jews in Late Antiquity, by Rodrigo Laham Cohen
The Jews in Late Antiquity - Arc Humanities Press
Is it possible to summarize the history of the Jews in late antiquity? The lack of source material makes it challenging, but this short book provides a brief...
www.arc-humanities.org
January 17, 2026 at 5:43 PM
A brief and useful overview: The #Jews in Late Antiquity, by Rodrigo Laham Cohen
🤣
neolithic guys get pissed if you tell them their cultures are organized by the type of pots and jewelry they made. "we called ourselves the blood hunters" "we conquered villages far beyond this horizon" sorry bud you're the western linear pottery culture now
January 17, 2026 at 5:10 PM
🤣
Reposted by Brian Ulrich
"ceasefire"
🚨Some 14 people have been killed in 7 different Israeli attacks across Gaza today. The dead include several women and children, and two senior Palestinian resistance commanders. Many others have been injured. Details in thread🧵
January 16, 2026 at 5:40 PM
"ceasefire"
Reposted by Brian Ulrich
Check out this report documenting censorship in higher education in the US. It chronicles record-breaking numbers of state bills that directly or indirectly censor classroom speech and an unprecedented federal campaign to exert ideological control over research, teaching, and campus life.
New PEN America Report Warns of Expanding Web of Control as Politicians Escalate Campaign to Censor U.S. Colleges and Universities https://pen.org/press-release/pen-america-warns-of-expanding-web-of-control-as-politicians-escalate-campaign-to-censor-u-s-colleges-and-universities/
PEN America Warns of Expanding Web of Control as Politicians Escalate Campaign to Censor U.S. Colleges and Universities
A new PEN America report on the state of higher education warns of an alarming political web of control on state and federal levels
pen.org
January 15, 2026 at 5:32 PM
Check out this report documenting censorship in higher education in the US. It chronicles record-breaking numbers of state bills that directly or indirectly censor classroom speech and an unprecedented federal campaign to exert ideological control over research, teaching, and campus life.
Reposted by Brian Ulrich
Eternal Sunshine of the Bomb Iran Mind - my new piece in Foreign Policy lays out why the likely impeding US attack on Iran is unlikely to help its protestors and likely to make things worse. With a paywall free link
abuaardvarkghost.ghost.io/eternal-suns...
abuaardvarkghost.ghost.io/eternal-suns...
Eternal Sunshine of the Bomb Iran Mind
All signs point to an imminent American bombing attack on Iran, ostensibly in support of protestors challenging the regime. Such a military intervention in search of regime change has long been a fant...
abuaardvarkghost.ghost.io
January 14, 2026 at 6:14 PM
Eternal Sunshine of the Bomb Iran Mind - my new piece in Foreign Policy lays out why the likely impeding US attack on Iran is unlikely to help its protestors and likely to make things worse. With a paywall free link
abuaardvarkghost.ghost.io/eternal-suns...
abuaardvarkghost.ghost.io/eternal-suns...
Reposted by Brian Ulrich
And unlike Tiananmen, it seems to have been done by roving self-motivated irregulars, not by conscripts at gunpoint.
January 14, 2026 at 6:08 PM
And unlike Tiananmen, it seems to have been done by roving self-motivated irregulars, not by conscripts at gunpoint.
Reposted by Brian Ulrich
The image of people wandering among black body bags looking for the corpses of their missing loved ones is just devastating.
January 14, 2026 at 5:48 PM
The image of people wandering among black body bags looking for the corpses of their missing loved ones is just devastating.
I am not sure the fact that the Iranian regime had massacred thousands of protestors has really penetrated beyond #Iran watchers - it is probably worse than Tiananmen
January 14, 2026 at 5:56 PM
I am not sure the fact that the Iranian regime had massacred thousands of protestors has really penetrated beyond #Iran watchers - it is probably worse than Tiananmen
Coming next week!
The Early Qur'an in Mecca: Apocalyptic Expectation at the Dawn of Islam, by Raymond Farrin #Islam #Quran
The Early Qur'an in Mecca: Apocalyptic Expectation at the Dawn of Islam, by Raymond Farrin #Islam #Quran
The Early Qur'an in Mecca
Cambridge Core - Middle East Studies - The Early Qur'an in Mecca
www.cambridge.org
January 14, 2026 at 3:40 PM
Reposted by Brian Ulrich
Can anyone recommend a good article summarizing the current status quaestionis of the horse domestication/Indo-European origins/kurgans/chariots debate for an upper level undergraduate course? It could be a popular article.
January 14, 2026 at 3:15 PM
Can anyone recommend a good article summarizing the current status quaestionis of the horse domestication/Indo-European origins/kurgans/chariots debate for an upper level undergraduate course? It could be a popular article.
Reposted by Brian Ulrich
Horrific footage from Iran. A journalist traveled 1,000 km just to publish these images. According to him, in a single day, he witnessed approximately 2,000 bodies of protesters killed by the Ayatollah regime.
www.iranintl.com/202601136322
www.iranintl.com/202601136322
January 13, 2026 at 5:14 PM
Horrific footage from Iran. A journalist traveled 1,000 km just to publish these images. According to him, in a single day, he witnessed approximately 2,000 bodies of protesters killed by the Ayatollah regime.
www.iranintl.com/202601136322
www.iranintl.com/202601136322
January 12, 2026 at 2:57 PM
Reposted by Brian Ulrich
We are deeply divided and no I don’t think these demonstrations are any more artificial or staged than the protests against the regime
x.com/seamus_malek...
x.com/seamus_malek...
January 12, 2026 at 2:31 PM
We are deeply divided and no I don’t think these demonstrations are any more artificial or staged than the protests against the regime
x.com/seamus_malek...
x.com/seamus_malek...
Reposted by Brian Ulrich
I just pre-ordered my copy, which should hopefully arrive next week.
Holding my fellow Ajam/Hawala/Khodmooni (or however you self identify) close. Don’t we just yearn for freedom and dignity on both shores.
Cover art by Kuwaiti-American artist, Zahra Marwan.
Holding my fellow Ajam/Hawala/Khodmooni (or however you self identify) close. Don’t we just yearn for freedom and dignity on both shores.
Cover art by Kuwaiti-American artist, Zahra Marwan.
January 12, 2026 at 2:04 PM
I just pre-ordered my copy, which should hopefully arrive next week.
Holding my fellow Ajam/Hawala/Khodmooni (or however you self identify) close. Don’t we just yearn for freedom and dignity on both shores.
Cover art by Kuwaiti-American artist, Zahra Marwan.
Holding my fellow Ajam/Hawala/Khodmooni (or however you self identify) close. Don’t we just yearn for freedom and dignity on both shores.
Cover art by Kuwaiti-American artist, Zahra Marwan.
Reposted by Brian Ulrich
Various reports confirming a big briefing is happening at the White House on Tuesday on US options vis a vis Iran. Imagine that after Tuesday things will develop rapidly. If this news reaches inside the country - and it likely will despite the blackout - protestor violence may increase /n
January 11, 2026 at 10:43 PM
Various reports confirming a big briefing is happening at the White House on Tuesday on US options vis a vis Iran. Imagine that after Tuesday things will develop rapidly. If this news reaches inside the country - and it likely will despite the blackout - protestor violence may increase /n
Reposted by Brian Ulrich
I am currently seeking job opportunities. Any advice or leads would be greatly appreciated.
January 11, 2026 at 10:14 PM
I am currently seeking job opportunities. Any advice or leads would be greatly appreciated.
Reposted by Brian Ulrich
Question for @arashtehran.bsky.social: how do you interpret this protest slogan? Iran First?
"No to Gaza; no to Lebanon; my life only for Iran.”
From:
www.theatlantic.com/internationa...
"No to Gaza; no to Lebanon; my life only for Iran.”
From:
www.theatlantic.com/internationa...
Is the Iranian Regime About to Collapse?
Five conditions determine whether revolutions succeed. For the first time since 1979, Iran meets nearly all of them.
www.theatlantic.com
January 11, 2026 at 3:16 PM
Question for @arashtehran.bsky.social: how do you interpret this protest slogan? Iran First?
"No to Gaza; no to Lebanon; my life only for Iran.”
From:
www.theatlantic.com/internationa...
"No to Gaza; no to Lebanon; my life only for Iran.”
From:
www.theatlantic.com/internationa...
Reposted by Brian Ulrich
Horrible video of the morgue at the Tehran’s surgeon general (authority in charge of issuing death certificates). What seems to be 100’s of body bags and mourning relatives looking for their loved ones. I do hope this is gov’t propaganda meant to scare/discourage protesters. Otherwise too fucked up.
January 11, 2026 at 6:20 PM
Horrible video of the morgue at the Tehran’s surgeon general (authority in charge of issuing death certificates). What seems to be 100’s of body bags and mourning relatives looking for their loved ones. I do hope this is gov’t propaganda meant to scare/discourage protesters. Otherwise too fucked up.
Here, the authors present a pair of third-millennium BC copper cymbals, excavated at Dahwa, #Oman ... Not only do the cymbals add to...evidence interpreted in terms of Indus migrants in Early Bronze Age Oman, they also suggest shared musical and potentially ritual practices around the Arabian Gulf.
Bronze Age cymbals from Dahwa: Indus musical traditions in Oman | Antiquity | Cambridge Core
Bronze Age cymbals from Dahwa: Indus musical traditions in Oman - Volume 99 Issue 404
www.cambridge.org
January 11, 2026 at 5:21 PM
Here, the authors present a pair of third-millennium BC copper cymbals, excavated at Dahwa, #Oman ... Not only do the cymbals add to...evidence interpreted in terms of Indus migrants in Early Bronze Age Oman, they also suggest shared musical and potentially ritual practices around the Arabian Gulf.