Dr. Verena Krebs
@krebsverena.bsky.social
Medieval Historian. North-East Africa & Ethiopia. German. Professor. GIF lover, Sci-fi fan. Getting better at remembering this app exists. More info: VerenaKrebs.com.
Pinned
I seem to have picked up a lot of new followers over the last few days (1k! 🤯).
So: Hi! If you're interested, below's a link to the PDF of our recently published intro "'Ethiopia' and the World, 330-1500 CE".
Otherwise, my 2021 book got a nice write-up here www.smithsonianmag.com/history/new-...
So: Hi! If you're interested, below's a link to the PDF of our recently published intro "'Ethiopia' and the World, 330-1500 CE".
Otherwise, my 2021 book got a nice write-up here www.smithsonianmag.com/history/new-...
Reposted by Dr. Verena Krebs
Yay! I just noticed that my book is available for preorder. Use the code PUP30 for 30% off. Share with your librarian! Will ship on Jan 20, 2026 just in time for uhhhhh someone's birthday? Slavery and the Jews of Medieval Egypt | Princeton University Press press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
Slavery and the Jews of Medieval Egypt
A new global history of the slave trade, the lives of enslaved people, and the role of slavery in the formation of Jewish and Arab-Islamic culture in the medieval Middle East
press.princeton.edu
November 7, 2025 at 3:47 PM
Yay! I just noticed that my book is available for preorder. Use the code PUP30 for 30% off. Share with your librarian! Will ship on Jan 20, 2026 just in time for uhhhhh someone's birthday? Slavery and the Jews of Medieval Egypt | Princeton University Press press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
Job in a really great department in a surprisingly awesome city (said the German who'd never been, until she did go).
🚨🚨🚨 Major announcement!!!
I am extremely pleased to announce that HAA is searching for a senior, endowed position in premodern art or architecture. The subfield is wide open. Please spread the word and encourage curious scholars to write to me with questions! 🚨🚨🚨
cfopitt.taleo.net/careersectio...
I am extremely pleased to announce that HAA is searching for a senior, endowed position in premodern art or architecture. The subfield is wide open. Please spread the word and encourage curious scholars to write to me with questions! 🚨🚨🚨
cfopitt.taleo.net/careersectio...
William S. Dietrich II Professor of Premodern Arts and/or Architecture
Click the link provided to see the complete job description.
cfopitt.taleo.net
October 30, 2025 at 10:11 PM
Job in a really great department in a surprisingly awesome city (said the German who'd never been, until she did go).
"Something happened in Northeast Africa in the early thirteenth century.
It was swift, violent, destructive, and perpetrated by non-Muslims.
It might have been accompanied by an outbreak of disease; it might have had apocalyptic overtones; it might have been several events rolled into one."
It was swift, violent, destructive, and perpetrated by non-Muslims.
It might have been accompanied by an outbreak of disease; it might have had apocalyptic overtones; it might have been several events rolled into one."
September 27, 2025 at 8:18 PM
"Something happened in Northeast Africa in the early thirteenth century.
It was swift, violent, destructive, and perpetrated by non-Muslims.
It might have been accompanied by an outbreak of disease; it might have had apocalyptic overtones; it might have been several events rolled into one."
It was swift, violent, destructive, and perpetrated by non-Muslims.
It might have been accompanied by an outbreak of disease; it might have had apocalyptic overtones; it might have been several events rolled into one."
Well, in retrospect, August was a 🤬 flaming dumpster fire of a month.
Spent most of it in various hospitals with my dad, fighter extraordinaire, now in his 6th year of obliterating Glioblastoma statistics. Things are looking up, but ... phew.
Man plans, God laughs, academic sabbatical edition.
Spent most of it in various hospitals with my dad, fighter extraordinaire, now in his 6th year of obliterating Glioblastoma statistics. Things are looking up, but ... phew.
Man plans, God laughs, academic sabbatical edition.
It's August, which means the semester break is finally upon us in Bochum (sorry, American colleagues!).
Starting my 14-month post-appointment sabbatical (🤯!) as befits my rural roots: with long rambling walks through the hilly Hessian countryside, my tried and tested method for starting a new book.
Starting my 14-month post-appointment sabbatical (🤯!) as befits my rural roots: with long rambling walks through the hilly Hessian countryside, my tried and tested method for starting a new book.
September 1, 2025 at 12:12 PM
Well, in retrospect, August was a 🤬 flaming dumpster fire of a month.
Spent most of it in various hospitals with my dad, fighter extraordinaire, now in his 6th year of obliterating Glioblastoma statistics. Things are looking up, but ... phew.
Man plans, God laughs, academic sabbatical edition.
Spent most of it in various hospitals with my dad, fighter extraordinaire, now in his 6th year of obliterating Glioblastoma statistics. Things are looking up, but ... phew.
Man plans, God laughs, academic sabbatical edition.
I just did this—followed the steps below to stopAcademia's AI-fication of my work.
Thanks but no thanks. I've gone on enough real podcasts, done real interviews and written my own public facing essays that I really don't need an auto-generated version that likely distorts what I actually wrote.
Thanks but no thanks. I've gone on enough real podcasts, done real interviews and written my own public facing essays that I really don't need an auto-generated version that likely distorts what I actually wrote.
Whoa! Thanks for the tip. For other folks wanting to do this, here are screenshots of what I just did. Start by going to you "Account Settings." Then follow the screenshots below. And yes, when given the option "Are you sure you want to proceed?," you better believe I hit that sucker!
August 21, 2025 at 9:36 PM
I just did this—followed the steps below to stopAcademia's AI-fication of my work.
Thanks but no thanks. I've gone on enough real podcasts, done real interviews and written my own public facing essays that I really don't need an auto-generated version that likely distorts what I actually wrote.
Thanks but no thanks. I've gone on enough real podcasts, done real interviews and written my own public facing essays that I really don't need an auto-generated version that likely distorts what I actually wrote.
Reposted by Dr. Verena Krebs
Excited to share the article that @mmonier.bsky.social and I wrote on the Introduction to the Gospels by ibn al-Assal and its Arabic and Ethiopic traditions 🤩
brill.com/view/journal...
brill.com/view/journal...
August 20, 2025 at 6:16 AM
Excited to share the article that @mmonier.bsky.social and I wrote on the Introduction to the Gospels by ibn al-Assal and its Arabic and Ethiopic traditions 🤩
brill.com/view/journal...
brill.com/view/journal...
I tend to think my name's pretty basic — 'Verena' is very much an 80s girls' name from the German-speaking regions of Europe (although we're all named for a 4th-ct Coptic saint from Thebes in Upper Egypt— القديسة فيرينا).
And then there's weeks where I'm constantly called ...Veronika, Vera, Verona.
And then there's weeks where I'm constantly called ...Veronika, Vera, Verona.
August 19, 2025 at 7:11 AM
I tend to think my name's pretty basic — 'Verena' is very much an 80s girls' name from the German-speaking regions of Europe (although we're all named for a 4th-ct Coptic saint from Thebes in Upper Egypt— القديسة فيرينا).
And then there's weeks where I'm constantly called ...Veronika, Vera, Verona.
And then there's weeks where I'm constantly called ...Veronika, Vera, Verona.
Reposted by Dr. Verena Krebs
Well, it's finally *really* out:
habemus full citation — Krebs, V. (2025). ‘People and Things Have Always Been Mixed Up’: Notes on the So-Called Global Middle Ages. Journal of Medieval History, 51(4), 581–585. doi.org/10.1080/0304...
50 free downloads at: www.tandfonline.com/eprint/RAEXD...
habemus full citation — Krebs, V. (2025). ‘People and Things Have Always Been Mixed Up’: Notes on the So-Called Global Middle Ages. Journal of Medieval History, 51(4), 581–585. doi.org/10.1080/0304...
50 free downloads at: www.tandfonline.com/eprint/RAEXD...
August 18, 2025 at 9:16 AM
Well, it's finally *really* out:
habemus full citation — Krebs, V. (2025). ‘People and Things Have Always Been Mixed Up’: Notes on the So-Called Global Middle Ages. Journal of Medieval History, 51(4), 581–585. doi.org/10.1080/0304...
50 free downloads at: www.tandfonline.com/eprint/RAEXD...
habemus full citation — Krebs, V. (2025). ‘People and Things Have Always Been Mixed Up’: Notes on the So-Called Global Middle Ages. Journal of Medieval History, 51(4), 581–585. doi.org/10.1080/0304...
50 free downloads at: www.tandfonline.com/eprint/RAEXD...
Well, it's finally *really* out:
habemus full citation — Krebs, V. (2025). ‘People and Things Have Always Been Mixed Up’: Notes on the So-Called Global Middle Ages. Journal of Medieval History, 51(4), 581–585. doi.org/10.1080/0304...
50 free downloads at: www.tandfonline.com/eprint/RAEXD...
habemus full citation — Krebs, V. (2025). ‘People and Things Have Always Been Mixed Up’: Notes on the So-Called Global Middle Ages. Journal of Medieval History, 51(4), 581–585. doi.org/10.1080/0304...
50 free downloads at: www.tandfonline.com/eprint/RAEXD...
August 18, 2025 at 9:16 AM
Well, it's finally *really* out:
habemus full citation — Krebs, V. (2025). ‘People and Things Have Always Been Mixed Up’: Notes on the So-Called Global Middle Ages. Journal of Medieval History, 51(4), 581–585. doi.org/10.1080/0304...
50 free downloads at: www.tandfonline.com/eprint/RAEXD...
habemus full citation — Krebs, V. (2025). ‘People and Things Have Always Been Mixed Up’: Notes on the So-Called Global Middle Ages. Journal of Medieval History, 51(4), 581–585. doi.org/10.1080/0304...
50 free downloads at: www.tandfonline.com/eprint/RAEXD...
Reposted by Dr. Verena Krebs
In the year 1071 CE, an envoy from the East African island of Cengtan (層檀, ie, Zangistân/Zanzibar in Tanzania) named Cengjiani visited the court of the Song dynasty ruler Shenzong (r. 1067–85):
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/africans-i...
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/africans-i...
Africans in the Indian Ocean world and the autobiography of a Somali Globetrotter.
In 1944, a soldier on Australia’s most remote northern coastline discovered a handful of copper coins that were originally minted in the medieval Swahili city of Kilwa, Tanzania, between 1150 and 1330...
www.africanhistoryextra.com
August 17, 2025 at 1:21 PM
In the year 1071 CE, an envoy from the East African island of Cengtan (層檀, ie, Zangistân/Zanzibar in Tanzania) named Cengjiani visited the court of the Song dynasty ruler Shenzong (r. 1067–85):
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/africans-i...
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/africans-i...
Reposted by Dr. Verena Krebs
Oh look!
More evidence that people and things have been mixing up between medieval Europe' and 'Africa" all along ...
...which *only now* becomes visible as the field's epistemological and methodological frameworks continue to change (for the better, if you ask me)!
More evidence that people and things have been mixing up between medieval Europe' and 'Africa" all along ...
...which *only now* becomes visible as the field's epistemological and methodological frameworks continue to change (for the better, if you ask me)!
August 13, 2025 at 9:57 AM
Oh look!
More evidence that people and things have been mixing up between medieval Europe' and 'Africa" all along ...
...which *only now* becomes visible as the field's epistemological and methodological frameworks continue to change (for the better, if you ask me)!
More evidence that people and things have been mixing up between medieval Europe' and 'Africa" all along ...
...which *only now* becomes visible as the field's epistemological and methodological frameworks continue to change (for the better, if you ask me)!
Oh look!
More evidence that people and things have been mixing up between medieval Europe' and 'Africa" all along ...
...which *only now* becomes visible as the field's epistemological and methodological frameworks continue to change (for the better, if you ask me)!
More evidence that people and things have been mixing up between medieval Europe' and 'Africa" all along ...
...which *only now* becomes visible as the field's epistemological and methodological frameworks continue to change (for the better, if you ask me)!
August 13, 2025 at 9:57 AM
Oh look!
More evidence that people and things have been mixing up between medieval Europe' and 'Africa" all along ...
...which *only now* becomes visible as the field's epistemological and methodological frameworks continue to change (for the better, if you ask me)!
More evidence that people and things have been mixing up between medieval Europe' and 'Africa" all along ...
...which *only now* becomes visible as the field's epistemological and methodological frameworks continue to change (for the better, if you ask me)!
Reposted by Dr. Verena Krebs
Really exciting new archaeology report showing that two people who died in 7th century Kent had West African grandfathers. It’s suggested they’d travelled here as traders and settled thanks to the Byzantine Empire’s trade network that linked North Africa to Britain
August 13, 2025 at 9:01 AM
Really exciting new archaeology report showing that two people who died in 7th century Kent had West African grandfathers. It’s suggested they’d travelled here as traders and settled thanks to the Byzantine Empire’s trade network that linked North Africa to Britain
Reposted by Dr. Verena Krebs
A new #OpenAccess resource for teaching world/global history is almost ready. The module "The Black Death: The Medieval Plague Pandemic through the Eyes of Ibn Battuta," is in final editing & should be "live" by the beginning of September. A preview here: www.arc-humanities.org/blog/2025/07...
August 5, 2025 at 1:29 PM
A new #OpenAccess resource for teaching world/global history is almost ready. The module "The Black Death: The Medieval Plague Pandemic through the Eyes of Ibn Battuta," is in final editing & should be "live" by the beginning of September. A preview here: www.arc-humanities.org/blog/2025/07...
It's August, which means the semester break is finally upon us in Bochum (sorry, American colleagues!).
Starting my 14-month post-appointment sabbatical (🤯!) as befits my rural roots: with long rambling walks through the hilly Hessian countryside, my tried and tested method for starting a new book.
Starting my 14-month post-appointment sabbatical (🤯!) as befits my rural roots: with long rambling walks through the hilly Hessian countryside, my tried and tested method for starting a new book.
August 2, 2025 at 5:41 PM
It's August, which means the semester break is finally upon us in Bochum (sorry, American colleagues!).
Starting my 14-month post-appointment sabbatical (🤯!) as befits my rural roots: with long rambling walks through the hilly Hessian countryside, my tried and tested method for starting a new book.
Starting my 14-month post-appointment sabbatical (🤯!) as befits my rural roots: with long rambling walks through the hilly Hessian countryside, my tried and tested method for starting a new book.
Reposted by Dr. Verena Krebs
…and this one’s out too: «So, Who Killed the Elephant?» Tracing African-European Entanglements in the ‘Global Middle Ages’!
An essay adaptation of my 2023 @imc-leeds.bsky.social keynote — two case studies, four thoughts on how we might move forward in telling more global medieval (hi)stories.
An essay adaptation of my 2023 @imc-leeds.bsky.social keynote — two case studies, four thoughts on how we might move forward in telling more global medieval (hi)stories.
July 21, 2025 at 1:09 PM
…and this one’s out too: «So, Who Killed the Elephant?» Tracing African-European Entanglements in the ‘Global Middle Ages’!
An essay adaptation of my 2023 @imc-leeds.bsky.social keynote — two case studies, four thoughts on how we might move forward in telling more global medieval (hi)stories.
An essay adaptation of my 2023 @imc-leeds.bsky.social keynote — two case studies, four thoughts on how we might move forward in telling more global medieval (hi)stories.
…and this one’s out too: «So, Who Killed the Elephant?» Tracing African-European Entanglements in the ‘Global Middle Ages’!
An essay adaptation of my 2023 @imc-leeds.bsky.social keynote — two case studies, four thoughts on how we might move forward in telling more global medieval (hi)stories.
An essay adaptation of my 2023 @imc-leeds.bsky.social keynote — two case studies, four thoughts on how we might move forward in telling more global medieval (hi)stories.
July 21, 2025 at 1:09 PM
…and this one’s out too: «So, Who Killed the Elephant?» Tracing African-European Entanglements in the ‘Global Middle Ages’!
An essay adaptation of my 2023 @imc-leeds.bsky.social keynote — two case studies, four thoughts on how we might move forward in telling more global medieval (hi)stories.
An essay adaptation of my 2023 @imc-leeds.bsky.social keynote — two case studies, four thoughts on how we might move forward in telling more global medieval (hi)stories.
Reposted by Dr. Verena Krebs
...and it's out!
"‘People and Things Have Always Been Mixed Up’: Notes on the So-Called Global Middle Ages", my very short essay for the Journal of Medieval History's 50th-anniversary special issue, is now published; limited free access at the link below!
www.tandfonline.com/eprint/RAEXD...
"‘People and Things Have Always Been Mixed Up’: Notes on the So-Called Global Middle Ages", my very short essay for the Journal of Medieval History's 50th-anniversary special issue, is now published; limited free access at the link below!
www.tandfonline.com/eprint/RAEXD...
July 14, 2025 at 7:37 AM
...and it's out!
"‘People and Things Have Always Been Mixed Up’: Notes on the So-Called Global Middle Ages", my very short essay for the Journal of Medieval History's 50th-anniversary special issue, is now published; limited free access at the link below!
www.tandfonline.com/eprint/RAEXD...
"‘People and Things Have Always Been Mixed Up’: Notes on the So-Called Global Middle Ages", my very short essay for the Journal of Medieval History's 50th-anniversary special issue, is now published; limited free access at the link below!
www.tandfonline.com/eprint/RAEXD...
...and it's out!
"‘People and Things Have Always Been Mixed Up’: Notes on the So-Called Global Middle Ages", my very short essay for the Journal of Medieval History's 50th-anniversary special issue, is now published; limited free access at the link below!
www.tandfonline.com/eprint/RAEXD...
"‘People and Things Have Always Been Mixed Up’: Notes on the So-Called Global Middle Ages", my very short essay for the Journal of Medieval History's 50th-anniversary special issue, is now published; limited free access at the link below!
www.tandfonline.com/eprint/RAEXD...
July 14, 2025 at 7:37 AM
...and it's out!
"‘People and Things Have Always Been Mixed Up’: Notes on the So-Called Global Middle Ages", my very short essay for the Journal of Medieval History's 50th-anniversary special issue, is now published; limited free access at the link below!
www.tandfonline.com/eprint/RAEXD...
"‘People and Things Have Always Been Mixed Up’: Notes on the So-Called Global Middle Ages", my very short essay for the Journal of Medieval History's 50th-anniversary special issue, is now published; limited free access at the link below!
www.tandfonline.com/eprint/RAEXD...
Third set of proofs for a piece I really, really, really struggled to write, but now am actually very happy with (even if my affiliation, mysteriously, now language-switches between German and English).
Part of the Journal of Medieval History's 50th anniversary issue, to be published sooooon.
Part of the Journal of Medieval History's 50th anniversary issue, to be published sooooon.
July 10, 2025 at 8:53 PM
Third set of proofs for a piece I really, really, really struggled to write, but now am actually very happy with (even if my affiliation, mysteriously, now language-switches between German and English).
Part of the Journal of Medieval History's 50th anniversary issue, to be published sooooon.
Part of the Journal of Medieval History's 50th anniversary issue, to be published sooooon.
Reposted by Dr. Verena Krebs
Hard copies of my book arrived a few days ago, and I've finally found the time to write a bit about it and why you should read it (or get your library to buy it).
indomedieval.medium.com/bujangga-man...
indomedieval.medium.com/bujangga-man...
Bujangga Manik: Or, Java in the Fifteenth Century
My book on Bujangga Manik has been published by Brill under the title Bujangga Manik: Or, Java in the Fifteenth Century.
indomedieval.medium.com
July 10, 2025 at 2:19 PM
Hard copies of my book arrived a few days ago, and I've finally found the time to write a bit about it and why you should read it (or get your library to buy it).
indomedieval.medium.com/bujangga-man...
indomedieval.medium.com/bujangga-man...
I did, in fact, 'find' a body while running in the woods in rural Germany.
Did CPR that, very obviously, would do little to help until the ambulance finally arrived (took a while, because... woods).
Turns out: CPR is really hard, and it's worthwhile to brush up on your First Aid knowledge, kids.
Did CPR that, very obviously, would do little to help until the ambulance finally arrived (took a while, because... woods).
Turns out: CPR is really hard, and it's worthwhile to brush up on your First Aid knowledge, kids.
Share a piece of lore about yourself
Yes I stole this from musky folks site…I feel like we’ll get better answers here lol
Yes I stole this from musky folks site…I feel like we’ll get better answers here lol
July 8, 2025 at 6:51 PM
I did, in fact, 'find' a body while running in the woods in rural Germany.
Did CPR that, very obviously, would do little to help until the ambulance finally arrived (took a while, because... woods).
Turns out: CPR is really hard, and it's worthwhile to brush up on your First Aid knowledge, kids.
Did CPR that, very obviously, would do little to help until the ambulance finally arrived (took a while, because... woods).
Turns out: CPR is really hard, and it's worthwhile to brush up on your First Aid knowledge, kids.
Reposted by Dr. Verena Krebs
Great news for #GlobalMiddleAges out of Bochum: news.rub.de/leute/2025-0... #MedievalSky #AfricanHistory 🗃️
Congratulations @krebsverena.bsky.social! 🍾🍾🍾
Congratulations @krebsverena.bsky.social! 🍾🍾🍾
Verena Krebs sprengt die Grenzen der mittelalterlichen Welt
Die Historikerin betrachtet Europa und Afrika als Teile eines größeren, verflochtenen Kosmos des Mittelalters.
news.rub.de
July 7, 2025 at 8:25 PM
Great news for #GlobalMiddleAges out of Bochum: news.rub.de/leute/2025-0... #MedievalSky #AfricanHistory 🗃️
Congratulations @krebsverena.bsky.social! 🍾🍾🍾
Congratulations @krebsverena.bsky.social! 🍾🍾🍾
My timeline is full of Medievalists on their merry way to Leeds.
Meanwhile, I'm sat in my Bochum apartment, down with a nasty head-cold, wallowing a serious case of FOMO — this is the first year in a decade I won't be at the IMC...
until I remembered that I *am* on the program. Virtually. 😬🫠
Meanwhile, I'm sat in my Bochum apartment, down with a nasty head-cold, wallowing a serious case of FOMO — this is the first year in a decade I won't be at the IMC...
until I remembered that I *am* on the program. Virtually. 😬🫠
a man with a mustache is standing in front of a sign that says " kinda forgot "
ALT: a man with a mustache is standing in front of a sign that says " kinda forgot "
media.tenor.com
July 6, 2025 at 7:16 PM
My timeline is full of Medievalists on their merry way to Leeds.
Meanwhile, I'm sat in my Bochum apartment, down with a nasty head-cold, wallowing a serious case of FOMO — this is the first year in a decade I won't be at the IMC...
until I remembered that I *am* on the program. Virtually. 😬🫠
Meanwhile, I'm sat in my Bochum apartment, down with a nasty head-cold, wallowing a serious case of FOMO — this is the first year in a decade I won't be at the IMC...
until I remembered that I *am* on the program. Virtually. 😬🫠
A thing has happened — after 8 years as a contingent, non-TT "junior" professor, I'm now a regular professor at @ruhr-uni-bochum.de.
It feels surreal. Thank you to everyone who believed in (the value of) my research, near & far — and helped make create this reality. 🤯🤗
news.rub.de/leute/2025-0...
It feels surreal. Thank you to everyone who believed in (the value of) my research, near & far — and helped make create this reality. 🤯🤗
news.rub.de/leute/2025-0...
Verena Krebs sprengt die Grenzen der mittelalterlichen Welt
Die Historikerin betrachtet Europa und Afrika als Teile eines größeren, verflochtenen Kosmos des Mittelalters.
news.rub.de
July 1, 2025 at 2:07 PM
A thing has happened — after 8 years as a contingent, non-TT "junior" professor, I'm now a regular professor at @ruhr-uni-bochum.de.
It feels surreal. Thank you to everyone who believed in (the value of) my research, near & far — and helped make create this reality. 🤯🤗
news.rub.de/leute/2025-0...
It feels surreal. Thank you to everyone who believed in (the value of) my research, near & far — and helped make create this reality. 🤯🤗
news.rub.de/leute/2025-0...