Centre for Manuscript and Text Cultures
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cmtc-oxford.bsky.social
Centre for Manuscript and Text Cultures
@cmtc-oxford.bsky.social
The Centre for Manuscript and Text Cultures in the University of Oxford is an academic hub for inter-disciplinary activities related to the study of pre-modern manuscript and epigraphic traditions from different cultures.
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Hugely exciting to be able to advertise the Professorship in Latin Palaeography at the History Faculty @ox.ac.uk in conjunction with @wadhamcollege.bsky.social, and to join the world's largest community of medievalists @oxmedstud.bsky.social medieval.ox.ac.uk/2025/02/27/j... #medieval #palaeography
February 27, 2025 at 7:33 AM
The British Library is organising a compelling two-day symposium to mark the closing of the exhibition A Silk Road Oasis: Life in Ancient Dunhuang on February 21-22. Tickets are available for attendance online and in person at the BL.

idp.bl.uk/blog/a-silk-...
Programme of 'A Silk Road Oasis Symposium: Exploring Dunhuang's Multifaceted Legacy' - International Dunhuang Programme
Don’t miss our two-day symposium on February 21-22, celebrating the closing of the exhibition A Silk Road Oasis: Life in Ancient Dunhuang. Held in person at the British Library and live-streamed onlin...
idp.bl.uk
February 13, 2025 at 2:58 PM
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1/ Today for #LibraryLoversMonth we are looking at a 1745 English translation of a pamphlet, originally printed in Italian & the subject of a lecture delivered by physicist Antonio Cocchi (1695-1758) in Florence 2 yrs previous, on the merits of vegetarianism, or a Pythagorean diet as it was called.
February 12, 2025 at 2:52 PM
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Digitization & cataloging is complete for the collection of the Lebanese Maronite Order in Kaslik, Lebanon.

The oldest manuscript fragments in the collection date back to the 15th century and were discovered within the binding of a printed book. Learn more: hmml.org/collections/...
February 12, 2025 at 3:10 PM
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From 21 February @royalhistsoc.bsky.social will be closing and archiving its X account.

From this date all updates from the Society - and its promotion of work by fellow organisations for #history and the humanities - will be via BlueSky.

Please encourage colleagues to join us here #skystorians
February 11, 2025 at 7:46 AM
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One step closer to Leeds #IMC2025 and #DMSI2025 UK edition! See you in July!
February 11, 2025 at 10:56 AM
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This year marks 100 years of the Leverhulme Trust. Enabling talented researchers across the arts, humanities, sciences and social sciences to undertake blue skies, interdisciplinary, ambitious and risky research. www.leverhulme.ac.uk/what-we-do
February 6, 2025 at 10:31 AM
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🚀📈 Making Victorian visual culture searchable: Introducing an open-access and AI-powered dataset of 72,000 illustrations from the Illustrated London News (1842-1890). (w. Bethany Warner, @pfyfe.bsky.social and @bcgl.bsky.social)

openhumanitiesdata.metajnl.com/articles/10....
A Fully-Searchable Multimodal Dataset of the Illustrated London News, 1842–1890 | Journal of Open Humanities Data
The Journal of Open Humanities Data (JOHD) aims to be a key part of a thriving community of scholars sharing humanities data. The journal features peer reviewed publications describing humanities rese...
openhumanitiesdata.metajnl.com
February 5, 2025 at 8:23 AM
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If you need another break from current news, come with me 7000 years ago to search for the first speakers of Indo-European languages. 🧪 Gift link: nyti.ms/42ILio5
Ancient DNA Points to Origins of Indo-European Language (Gift Article)
A new study claims to have identified the first speakers of Indo-European language, which gave rise to English, Sanskrit and hundreds of others.
nyti.ms
February 5, 2025 at 7:14 PM
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Had so much fun with food historian Marjory Szurko to present a @bodleianlibraries.bsky.social workshop for the Medieval Women’s Writing and Critical Food Studies Network groups on historic recipes (with sweet treats by Marjory)! 📜🍰
February 5, 2025 at 8:38 PM
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2,000 years on the 'To Be Read' pile but with new technological advances we may soon be able to unlock the secrets inside the Herculaneum Scrolls: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article.... Exciting stuff!
First glimpse inside burnt scroll after 2,000 years
The document charred by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius is being 'unwrapped' using X-ray scans and AI.
www.bbc.co.uk
February 5, 2025 at 9:41 AM
Reminder:
Hilary Term Lecture
The Centre for Manuscript and Text Cultures

Elizabeth Frood (Oxford)
An unexpected script for an unexpected text: the tomb autobiography of the Egyptian Royal Secretary Tjay

cmtc.queens.ox.ac.uk/seminars/#po...

Magrath Room, The Queen's College
5 February: 5.30pm
Seminars - Centre for Manuscript and Text Cultures
cmtc.queens.ox.ac.uk
February 4, 2025 at 2:45 PM
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New! In Conversation with @rosariataddeo.bsky.social, @oiioxford.bsky.social discussing the ethics of AI in defence. Read the full interview: www.oii.ox.ac.uk/news-events/... #aiethics #defence
OII | The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence in Defence
In Conversation with Professor Mariarosaria Taddeo, Oxford Internet Institute discussing the ethics of AI in defence.
www.oii.ox.ac.uk
February 3, 2025 at 10:20 AM
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A magical @bodleianlibraries.bsky.social Coffee Morning today on early modern alchemy! 📜🎉
January 31, 2025 at 6:54 PM
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Exciting addition to the playlist of manuscript presentations from @bodleianlibraries.bsky.social: Dr Péter Tóth, Curator of #Greek #Manuscripts, presents #NewTestament #apocrypha #papyrus #parchment #fragments #codices youtu.be/_tat1NzWXIo
Greek New Testament Apocrypha in Manuscripts from the Bodleian Library (Péter Tóth)
YouTube video by Henrike Lähnemann
youtu.be
January 29, 2025 at 2:38 PM
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Drawing, especially in ink, demands absolute focus—every stroke is final. Unlike painting there’s no room for corrections, making it a true test of precision. This challenge sharpens skill over time, pushing constant growth. Freehand drawing is raw and immediate, mastering it means mastering control
January 31, 2025 at 2:52 PM
Centre for Manuscript and Text Cultures Establishes New Partnership in China

The centres will develop inter- and cross-disciplinary research on early text cultures across the world to foster the pollination of knowledge across the study of literate societies.

www.ames.ox.ac.uk/article/cent...
January 31, 2025 at 10:54 AM
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The IKEA Foundation has renewed its support for Oxford’s Refugee-Led Research Hub (RLRH), a pioneering initiative that helps people who have been affected by displacement to become leaders across the humanitarian sector.

More info ⬇️
IKEA Foundation pledges £2 million to Oxford initiative championing
The IKEA Foundation has renewed its support for Oxford’s Refugee-Led Research Hub (RLRH), a pioneering initiative that helps people who have been affected by displacement to become leaders across the
www.ox.ac.uk
January 31, 2025 at 9:34 AM
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..."For the moment, it would be incorrect to say outputs of ChatGPT or other generative models are protected under IP law by default," Professor Brent Mittelstadt, @oiioxford.bsky.social, told news website The Daily Upside.
www.thedailyupside.com/technology/a... #DeepSeek #Chatgpt
OpenAI Suggests DeepSeek Illicitly Used ChatGPT to Build its AI
To be clear, OpenAI has not yet come down hard saying DeepSeek definitely stole its intellectual property.
www.thedailyupside.com
January 31, 2025 at 9:56 AM
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Take the Bodleian Reader Survey:
unioxforfrankie.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

Win £50!
January 31, 2025 at 10:33 AM
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Here is the manuscript studies starter pack with amazing people researching Latin, Greek, Syriac, Ethiopian, Mughal, Chinese and many more manuscript cultures!

go.bsky.app/AN9pLVo
January 30, 2025 at 7:10 AM
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This is a sewing pattern. It is also a page from a late 14th century manuscript that is one of two primary sources for an important Icelandic saga (Sturlunga saga), but that was probably not important to the 17th century person who really needed a sewing pattern.
#upcycling
January 24, 2025 at 9:17 PM
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A statement from Vice-Chancellor Prof Irene Tracey following the UK Government’s renewed focus on the Oxford/Cambridge corridor:
January 29, 2025 at 1:01 PM
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Happy Chinese New Year!

On this 19th century Chinese dish, brought to life by Amy George, two dragons play with a pearl.
January 29, 2025 at 9:36 AM
Book launch Selena Wisnom ‘The Library of Ancient Wisdom’ with Emma Smith
Weds 26th Feb, 5.30-6.30pm, in Blackwells, Oxford. See: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/selena-wis...
Selena Wisnom 'The Library of Ancient Wisdom' with Emma Smith
The story of the ancient world's most spectacular library, and the civilization that created it. Chaired by literary scholar, Emma Smith.
www.eventbrite.co.uk
January 28, 2025 at 2:51 PM