Magdalen College, Oxford

26/05/2026

The Black Death. It is the ultimate historical vibe check.
Back in 1347, Europe met Yersinia pestis. Fleas on rats started a chaotic pandemic. It took out a massive chunk of the population. People thought the world was ending.

Fast forward to 2026. There are people on boats catching infections from rats, and everyone’s feeling a little bit worried…

Believe it or not, Hantavirus and the Black Death share some wild similarities. Both are zoonotic, which means they jump from animals to humans. Rodents are the culprits in both stories. Rats carried the medieval plague. Mice tend to spread hantavirus.

They even share the same initial symptom checklist. Fever? Check. Chills? Check. A sudden desire to avoid everyone? Double check.

The plague went for the lymph nodes. Hantavirus goes for the lungs. Either way, rodent boundaries are important.

The advice in this video is from “the treatise of John of Burgundy, 1365” in The Black Death edited by R. Horrox (the book Ioan is holding in this video), and it goes without saying that none of this is sound medical advice and if you do suspect you have the Black Death, please see a doctor!

Thanks Ioan for taking us through one of the worst pandemics in history!

26/05/2026

26/05/2026

Or of seeing a heatwave as a catalyst for truth tbh.

18/05/2026

An incredible archaeological discovery is coming to life at Magdalen.

In 2024, a papyrus was found in Egypt containing lost plays by Euripides. Now, three artists are sharing their creative responses to the find. Join us on 11th June for an afternoon of performance, interactive gaming, and ancient history.

It is free to attend, but booking is essential.

In 2024, an astonishing discovery was made. An Egyptian archaeological team, excavating an ancient necropolis, uncovered a papyrus containing nearly 100 lines from lost plays by the Greek playwright Euripides. The find gives us insight into two plays very different in mood but connected by the death...

15/05/2026

Ever wondered what happens when a prime minister gets fired? Well it’s certainly not new! Here’s a story from the 15th Century told by Magdalen History third-year, Ioan!

This story isn’t for the faint hearted; imprisonment, gore, and abandoning a body on the beach at Dover… so even if things look bad sometimes, it’s not as bad as what happened to William De La Pole!

12/05/2026

The Astronomicum Caesareum, or “The Emperor’s Astronomy,” is one of the most lavish and technically complex books ever printed. Published in 1540 by Peter Apian, a professor at the University of Ingolstadt, it was dedicated to the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and his brother Ferdinand.
The amazing thing about it is that it’s a paper analogue computer, that the emperor used for casting horoscopes!
If you think that’s fascinating, you should consider studying history here. BUT if I were posting this before the 18th Century, you could have come to study Astrology here!

11/05/2026

Today we celebrated the 10th anniversary of the opening of the Longwall Library. We are enormously grateful to everyone who helped make the Longwall Library possible, especially the alumni, for their generous support.