Pinar S. 🦦
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pinars.bsky.social
Pinar S. 🦦
@pinars.bsky.social
1.3K followers 720 following 1.6K posts
Used to be a Byzantinist, now an independent researcher, potter, part time translator and interpreter &person of leisure. Posts on history, art, archaeology, nature, mythology, folklore, the occult, books, language, καὶ τὰ ἕτερα. Team Oxford Comma.
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Reposted by Pinar S. 🦦
helleborezine.bsky.social
We keep getting requests, so had to bring them back. This campaign runs for 5 days only:
www.everpress.com/piper-at-the-gates-2025
November 22, 2025 at 9:10 AM
Reposted by Pinar S. 🦦
ecbecker.bsky.social
Some new, exhilarating facts I didn’t know but makes my life happier because I know it exists.

This is why I believe the internet exists.
alisonfisk.bsky.social Alison Fisk @alisonfisk.bsky.social · 1d
Roman bronze dragon’s head standard, AD 190-260.

Originally mounted on a pole, with a long fabric tube attached to the back of the head. When charging on horseback, the wind inflated the tube and the dragon shrieked!

Niederbieber fort. Landesmuseum Koblenz. 📷 me

#RomanFortThursday
#Archaeology
My photo shows a Roman bronze dragon’s head from a military standard carried by Roman cavalry. The head is elongated with open jaws. The top and bottom jaws are lined with sharp triangular teeth. The top of the snout has diagonal ridges. It has a single round eye socket. The rear of the head and neck is textured with scales. At the top of the head there is a short, jagged, fin-like, upright crest. The bronze surface is weathered with greenish and gold patches. It is mounted on a dark stand in a museum display case.
November 22, 2025 at 4:18 AM
Reposted by Pinar S. 🦦
brigitstrawbridge.bsky.social
Red-eyed Forest - oil painting by Czechia painter, Marie Ban

More of this artist's paintings, here: www.marieban.com

#art
November 22, 2025 at 8:45 AM
Reposted by Pinar S. 🦦
oxfordclarion.bsky.social
Also reposting this one final time as it is #Caturday, just in case anyone hasn't seen it yet..
bsky.app/profile/oxfo...
oxfordclarion.bsky.social Oxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 1d
Walter de Staplecat, Simpkin IV, Teabag, Balthasar and Benny D Cat take the stage as we meet the college cats of Oxford. And, of course, Magdalen’s Ozymandias. Read on for our photo special. (Includes a cat map.) oxfordclarion.uk/college-cats...
College cats of Oxford
Once upon a time, we featured an image of Magdalen's kitten, Ozymandias, in our newsletter. We figured it might be a gentle contrast to our regular diet of planning and local politics. The grey ball ...
oxfordclarion.uk
November 22, 2025 at 7:35 AM
pinars.bsky.social
I feel like we have reached peak saturation with “X’s daughter” books.
November 22, 2025 at 7:43 AM
pinars.bsky.social
Ozymandias 🩶
joshuabull.bsky.social Joshua Bull @joshuabull.bsky.social · 20h
I reckon you can learn a lot about the atmosphere in various Oxford colleges by looking at what they choose to name their cats (courtesy of @oxfordclarion.bsky.social ). We should all aspire to the energy of a Teabag, Isambard Kitten Brunel, or an Admiral Flapjack

oxfordclarion.uk/college-cats...
Oxford Clarion's "Cat map" of Oxford cats
November 22, 2025 at 6:30 AM
Reposted by Pinar S. 🦦
paullicino.bsky.social
Almost a year now since I received this absolutely classic burn from the Canadian government.
A cropped screenshot from a Canadian government website with the prompt "What's your occupation?" The answer "Writer" has been provided, generating the red text error response "Please enter a valid occupation."
November 21, 2025 at 9:10 PM
Reposted by Pinar S. 🦦
durotrigesdig.bsky.social
*Archaeological find of national significance broken up and dispersed overseas*

There, fixed that headline for you

www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/2562811...
Roman coin find in Dorset field sells for over £16,000
A hoard of 97 Roman coins found in Dorset by metal detectorist Trenton Oliver sold for £16,625 at Noonans Mayfair auction, exceeding estimates.
www.dorsetecho.co.uk
November 21, 2025 at 11:17 PM
Reposted by Pinar S. 🦦
curiousordinary.bsky.social
An amazing thread here if you want to take a virtual autumn walk along the Philosopher's Path in Kyoto. 🍁🍂
November 22, 2025 at 6:08 AM
Reposted by Pinar S. 🦦
lc-beguines.bsky.social
CFP: Yale graduate student conference "Ephemera & Place in the Ancient, Medieval, and Early Modern Worlds," April 17, 2026.

This event will investigate how pre-modern art and architecture shaped and was shaped by ephemeral activities. Deadline Jan 9.
November 20, 2025 at 9:27 AM
Reposted by Pinar S. 🦦
niftybuckles.bsky.social
#FolkyFriday 🎲 #Royal #GameoftheGoose
The Royal Game of the Goose (1580s–1800s) 🪿
The first mass-produced board game! No strategy—just chaos. Race your goose, hit hazards, get flung back or forward.
Started in Renaissance Italy, gifted to Philip II (~1587), then took Europe by storm.
'The Royal and Entertaining Game of the Goose'. Hand-coloured etching, Glasgow, 1800–1820.
November 21, 2025 at 3:31 PM
Reposted by Pinar S. 🦦
e-nma.bsky.social
In Karelian mythology, the world was created from Sotka's(*) egg. In today's world their eggs lead to baby tufted ducks.
(*) It is believed Sotka might also refer to the Goldeneye.

July 2025, Canon ~60x zoom

#bird #duck #tuftedduck #photography #babyduck #babybird #tukkasotka #suomenojanluonto
Black tufted duck floats on the water. She is surrounded by five babies, with a sixth just out of frame. The mother is black-brown with a yellow eye, the babies are black fluffballs. The same duck as the other picture swims away from the camera, followed by her 8 babies.
November 21, 2025 at 5:20 PM
Reposted by Pinar S. 🦦
openculture.bsky.social
Why Movies Don’t Feel Real Anymore: A Close Look at Changing Filmmaking Techniques
Why Movies Don’t Feel Real Anymore: A Close Look at Changing Filmmaking Techniques
Anyone who keeps an eye on Hollywood knows — indeed, has been ever more frequently and anxiously informed — that the theater business is in trouble.
www.openculture.com
November 20, 2025 at 5:31 PM
Reposted by Pinar S. 🦦
durotrigesdig.bsky.social
A fascinating talk about a truly stunning Iron Age discovery 👇
ehasarch.bsky.social EHAS @ehasarch.bsky.social · 16h
The next CHAS lecture is a not-to-miss event! Join us on December 1 to hear British Museum curator Dr. Sophia Adams talk about the amazing Melsonby Hoard - and, as always, it's free!
More info and a link for tickets here:
ehas.org.uk/ehas.org.uk/...

#archaeology #ancientBluesky
The Melsonby Hoard: a talk by Sophia Adams - East Herts Archaeological Society
The Melsonby Hoard is a highly significant collection of more than 800 pieces of Iron Age metalwork from nearly 2,000 years ago.
ehas.org.uk
November 21, 2025 at 4:54 PM
Reposted by Pinar S. 🦦
celestineandthehare.com
Shrew saw the frost patches appearing and knew the Northland ones were nearly here. They filled their bag ready to bake treats for the feast.
Yule collection 29th November
Needle felted shrew with a scarf and foraging bucket either acorns and fungi. Frost on the ground around them . For sale 29th nov
November 21, 2025 at 5:07 PM
Reposted by Pinar S. 🦦
openculture.bsky.social
How IKEA Revolutionized Furniture-Making
How IKEA Revolutionized Furniture-Making
We’re just emerging from years of college only to learn that there are no jobs available for people with our advanced qualifications,' and thus no route to ownership of all their hoped-for lifestyle a...
www.openculture.com
November 21, 2025 at 5:08 PM
Reposted by Pinar S. 🦦
hookland.bsky.social
A new entry from the #HooklandEncyclopaedia – #HooklandEncyclopedia for Hooklanders abroad). Double lives, autogyros, aerial archaeology, the Soot Sprite Trust and ghosts. All in all, typical of the county.
CABLE, JAMES James Jonathon Cable CMG CBE FSA (April 1st 1887 – November 17th 1973) played many roles in his life. World War I air ace, a pioneer in aerial archaeology and industrialist might have been enough for most, but he was also a noted as a steam railway restorer and psychic researcher. Born in Wormingford, he was commissioned in 1906 as an officer in the Royal Hookland Regiment. During his time in the army he developed an interest in aviation and supported by his father’s fortune, obtained his Royal Aero Club aviation certificate which helped in 1914 to secure his transfer to the Royal Flying Corp. During the First World War, Cable largely specialised in reconnaissance and later aerial photography, but won a reputation as a skilled and brave flyer ending the war with the rank of Lt. Colonel and induction into the Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George. In the late 1920s he established Cable Autogyro as part of his father’s Cable Engineering company, developing the CA-100 – an autogyro with helicopter abilities which proved successful and was made under licence in America, Germany and France. In the early 1930s, to promote the reconnaissance capability of the improved CA-200, Cable began working with Hookland Archaeological Trust (HAT) undertaking innovative aerial surveys of the county’s prehistoric landscape recording several previously unknown sites, possible hill figures the ‘Lost Owl’ and ancient trackways. Cable also made films for Pathé News and the Hookland Electric Film Company including their From Above series of short documentaries. During the Second World War, Cable Autogyro became Cable Aviation under his direction and produced the Spearhead aircraft used for clandestine missions and the twin-engined, cannon-armed Vortex fighter. After the war Cable turned the company into a leading British helicopter manufacturer.
November 21, 2025 at 5:18 PM
Reposted by Pinar S. 🦦
robincdouglas.bsky.social
🚨 New on my Substack!

THE END OF THE WORLD

A piece on the weird world of apocalyptic literature

People really like to imagine how the world will end

religionoffthebeatentrack.substack.com/p/the-end-of...
The end of the world
The strange genre of apocalyptic literature
religionoffthebeatentrack.substack.com
November 21, 2025 at 8:06 AM
Reposted by Pinar S. 🦦
nome.bsky.social
I mentioned earlier that they chew on Nile Crocodiles - I wasn't kidding, baby Hippos use them as teething rings since the texture of their scales is satisfying to gum.

Just this 12' long razor-toothed archosaur, sitting there going "stay calm, Clarence, you survived the asteroid, you can do this."
a hippopotamus is standing in a puddle of water next to two crocodiles
Alt: A crocodile doing his best to stay calm while a baby hippo noms on him.
media.tenor.com
March 12, 2025 at 6:43 AM
Reposted by Pinar S. 🦦
nome.bsky.social
Additionally, hippos - despite being massive - have almost no fat on them. All of that impressive bulk is muscle.

2% body fat. Compare that to Elephants, which are around 8-10%, or rhinos, which are 10-20%.

The average human is around 20-40%, for reference.

They're *all* muscle.
A comparison, showing a hippo standing in shallow water, and a see-through model of a hippo with an extremely thin layer of subcutaneous fat and skin over a body that's thick with muscle.
March 12, 2025 at 5:42 AM
Reposted by Pinar S. 🦦
nome.bsky.social
I have been doing entirely too much earnest posting about deep things recently, I need to do a proper thread about hippo testicles or something just to keep myself sane.

Oh by the way hippos have migratory testicles.
a statue of a hippopotamus with its mouth open and teeth showing .
Alt: A hippo being tossed a watermelon, which it crushes in its massive jaws.
media.tenor.com
March 12, 2025 at 5:33 AM
Reposted by Pinar S. 🦦
cunningfolkmag.bsky.social
In light of our recent move to Blue Sky, over the next month we’re going to share some material from our archives.

First up, from Bw Bach, Why Magic Matters

www.cunning-folk.com/read-posts/w...
Why Magic Matters — Cunning Folk Magazine
In modern times, it can seem hard to reconcile science and magic. But we can benefit from both, says Bw Bach.
www.cunning-folk.com
November 21, 2025 at 11:35 AM
Reposted by Pinar S. 🦦
nickjbrumfield.bsky.social
"Mahadharmaraksita was "a Greek Buddhist head monk" who led 30,000 Buddhist monks from "the Greek city of Alasandra" (Alexandria of the Caucasus), to Sri Lanka for the dedication of the Great Stupa in Anuradhapura during the rule (165–135 BCE) of King Menander I."

World is trippy dude
Mahadharmaraksita - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
November 20, 2025 at 3:34 PM
Reposted by Pinar S. 🦦
acbm.bsky.social
Old Georgian word of the day
საჴუმილი
"oven, furnace, flame"

as in Limonarion (ed. Abuladze), 10.13-15
მიიყვანა იგი ადგილსა ბნელსა, სავსესა სიმყრალითა, რომელსა შინა ეგზებოდა საჴუმილი განძჳნებულად

"He brought him to a dark, stench-filled place, where a conflagration was being furiously stoked"
November 21, 2025 at 11:54 AM