Jon Dell Isola
medievaljon.bsky.social
Jon Dell Isola
@medievaljon.bsky.social
PhD Medieval History. I work on early medieval politics and society. I think about the meaning and purpose of history a lot. I have a blog called Among the Ruins: among-the-ruins.ghost.io
Completely unsurprising to learn that Arnulf was my most used word on Bluesky

I can say I have a brand, it isn't lucrative, but it exists
December 3, 2025 at 8:01 PM
Looking at flights for Leeds, has anyone actually flown into Leeds airport? Or is Manchester/London still the best idea?
December 3, 2025 at 4:17 PM
Reposted by Jon Dell Isola
Remember your favorite creator possibly might be struggling with imposter syndrome and doubt and this timeline sucks.. so if you find yourself thinking “wow I really relate to this persons work” or that persons work gives you joy, you should probably tell them. It’s a hard time to be a creative.
November 26, 2025 at 6:57 AM
Reposted by Jon Dell Isola
Our longest yearly book list ever! Thirty six books by contingent historians for you to read, gift, and request for purchase at your library!
2025 Contingent Book List
When you’re shopping for books this season, consider a contingent scholar.
contingentmagazine.org
December 2, 2025 at 1:50 PM
Reposted by Jon Dell Isola
The primary qualification for being a MSM "reporter" on higher ed seems to be having no actual knowledge about what really happens inside a college classroom.
Accommodations in higher education were supposed to help disabled Americans access the same opportunities as their nondisabled peers, @rosehorowitch.bsky.social reports. How did they become another way for wealthy students to gain an advantage?
Elite Colleges Have an Extra-Time-on-Tests Problem
Accommodations in higher education were supposed to help disabled Americans enjoy the same opportunities as everyone else. How did they become another way for wealthy students to gain an advantage?
bit.ly
December 2, 2025 at 6:48 PM
Almost nothing improves a day faster than a nice bowl of pasta
December 2, 2025 at 5:50 PM
On a whim decided to search RI Opac for Arnulf and look what is there...: #medievalsky
December 2, 2025 at 4:48 PM
Running a 40k campaign at my local game store, really refreshing to write narratively for a change. Really excited for this as a side project
December 2, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Didn't get a chance to read my latest? Now's your chance! All about revolts against the later Carolingians and how they tried (somewhat unsuccessfully) to stop them. Remember that Bsky operates on shares, so if you like it, share it! #medievalsky
December 2, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Reposted by Jon Dell Isola
Dec 2nd - On his birthday, surveillance expert Harry Caul, and his colleagues, recorded a conversation between a couple as they walked through a crowded Union Square in San Francisco.

📽️📅 The Conversation (1974)
December 2, 2025 at 1:25 PM
I'm asking for a moratorium on cool stuff to read until I've made it through my backlog, this looks great
December 1, 2025 at 4:36 PM
Reposted by Jon Dell Isola
People have a lot of nerve writing new books when I still haven't finished reading the books that have already been written.
December 1, 2025 at 2:40 AM
Fundamentally this is the dead end of "grading for content, not style"
That it's poorly structured, poorly argued without evidence, meanders, and also apparently seems to deviate from the prompt doesn't matter to them. We can tell what she's trying to say and that's enough.
December 1, 2025 at 1:02 AM
If I was given unlimited power, I would outlaw college sports. Sorry that you love college football but this level of money being burned is obscene and makes me incandescent with rage
LSU is paying its previous football coach over $50 million NOT to coach there while likely guaranteeing Kiffin something approaching double that, all while having an academic hiring freeze and budget cuts across the board. What is the purpose of a university (rhetorical)?
SOURCES: Lane Kiffin is expected to accept LSU's offer to become the Tigers next head coach. Kiffin is set to meet with his Ole Miss team this morning at 9 AM CT. As we reported yesterday morning, LSU has been very confident it was going to land Kiffin. www.nytimes.com/athletic/684...
November 30, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Tapping the sign once more:
November 30, 2025 at 2:50 PM
Reposted by Jon Dell Isola
This week I built on some ideas in @lollardfish.bsky.social and @profgabriele.com's Oathbreakers and whether the later Carolingians learned from the past #medievalsky
Not Quite A Review: Oathbreakers and Rebellious Sons
After a very long lapse I managed to finish reading the 2024 book by Matthew Gabriele and David M. Perry called Oathbreakers: The War of Brothers that Shattered an Empire and Made Medieval Europe. For...
among-the-ruins.ghost.io
November 28, 2025 at 7:32 PM
This week I built on some ideas in @lollardfish.bsky.social and @profgabriele.com's Oathbreakers and whether the later Carolingians learned from the past #medievalsky
Not Quite A Review: Oathbreakers and Rebellious Sons
After a very long lapse I managed to finish reading the 2024 book by Matthew Gabriele and David M. Perry called Oathbreakers: The War of Brothers that Shattered an Empire and Made Medieval Europe. For...
among-the-ruins.ghost.io
November 28, 2025 at 7:32 PM
Does anyone here use an ereader for PDFs? I'd like to move away from reading on the computer since it is not as pleasant as a physical book, so an ereader seems appealing. What do you use? Is it good?
November 28, 2025 at 4:33 PM
A rare non-Arnulf themed conference for me, but I will need to work in a reference or two. #IMC2026
November 28, 2025 at 2:54 PM
Reposted by Jon Dell Isola
“Merit based and colorblind” is when you determine who is good and bad purely by the coincidence of where a person or their ancestors were born
November 28, 2025 at 1:23 PM
Reposted by Jon Dell Isola
This week on the blog - are we thinking about Tang China all wrong? Fear not, a western medieval historian is on the case! #medievalsky #china

salutemmundo.wordpress.com/2025/11/27/b...
Balancing the Tang: Thoughts by an Outsider on Early Medieval China
I’ve recently had reason to be thinking about Tang China (618-907). The empire of the Tang is fascinating for an early medievalist whose normal stomping grounds lie in western Eurasia. This is in p…
salutemmundo.wordpress.com
November 27, 2025 at 2:45 PM
Reposted by Jon Dell Isola
Me when I'm forced to read about the Late Middle Ages
November 27, 2025 at 12:19 AM
Me when I'm forced to read about the Late Middle Ages
November 27, 2025 at 12:19 AM
Often the craft takes the form of something edible, this year is a cupcake "turkey". So much fun
November 26, 2025 at 10:49 PM