Seminar Series: Medieval Society and Landscape, 2026
A series of four talks on Medieval Society and Landscape
Convened by Professor David Griffiths and Dr Stephen Mileson.
Running throughout late April to June, this seminar series will be a fascinating showcase of the history and archaeology of the medieval period, with a focus on societies, economies and landscapes. It brings together current research and fresh perspectives to explore how people shaped their lives and environments across the Middle Ages.
The programme offers a friendly, collaborative space for discussion, featuring research in progress, approaches to sources and methodologies, and an interface between academic research and local and community history and archaeology. Drawing on a rich heritage of documents, material culture and landscape evidence, the series highlights the breadth and continued relevance of medieval studies.
Open to staff, students and anyone with an interest in medieval history and archaeology, locally and globally, the series includes contributions from established scholars and practitioners.
The seminar series is free and will run over four sessions in Trinity Term 2026 at 5pm on alternate Wednesdays. You can choose to join us in Oxford or watch the sessions online. If you are joining us in person, these talks will take place in Rewley House, where refreshments will be available for purchase in the common room afterwards.
Speakers and sessions
- Wednesday 29 April 2026, Lecture Theatre: Professor Amanda Power, St Catherine’s College, Oxford, ‘The Long Making of the Anthropocene: Antiquity, Middle Ages, Modernity’
- Wednesday 13 May 2026, Lecture Theatre: Dr Tom Johnson, Oriel College, Oxford, ‘Building a Church out of Herring: Doles, Shares, and Maritime Community in a Fifteenth-Century Fishing Village’
- Wednesday 3 June 2026, Tawney Room: Dr Abigail Lloyd, ‘When is a Hill not Actually a Hill? Medieval Place-Names, Perception and Use of a Place’
- Wednesday 17 June 2026, Stopforth Metcalfe Room: Dr Philippa Byrne, Oxford Lifelong Learning, ‘Can Anyone Survive the Landscape of Sicily? A Twelfth-Century Political Experiment’
Published 2 March 2026