Kate Sheehan-Finn
@katesfwriter
Stories sprinkle stardust on our lives. Writer, Historical Fiction, Roman Archaeology, Ancient History, Books, Travel, Walking, Landscapes, Photography. Winner #FNL writing comp @ #LFOW24
The barn owl was out early last night. This fuzzy shot is my phone from about 40 M away. It could be an omen. The #owl is a symbol for a main character in one of two novels I’ve written. Is this is the one I need to focus on finessing in the second half of 2026? #AmWriting #WritingLife 📷 my own
This is one of several bronze shields from the Idaean cave, #Crete. The shield dates from the late 9th/early 8th C to mid 7th C BC, roughly the same era when the oral epics, The #Iliad and The #Odyssey, found their more fixed written form. My 📷, Heraklion Archaeological Museum #Archaeology
After the rain, it was a beautiful evening. I heard a Sparrow Hawk and took in the sun as it set over the parched fields. Then, back home after my walk, I sat down to write. #AmWriting #WritingLife 📷 my own, #Northumberland
Roman sarcophagus with relief carving of individuals praying, Jesus’s baptism in the river Jordan, and the prophet Jonah. Made in a Roman workshop, AD 250-300, it is one of the first sarcophagi that is explicitly Christian in nature. #TombTuesday #Rome #Archaeology My 📷 Santa Maria Antiqua, Rome.
A 2nd C AD Roman mosaic floor in a communal latrine. The building may have been used by a collegium or guild for meetings and functions. The mosaic shows hunting and fishing scenes. I’m impressed by the marble toilet seats. 📷 my own, Italica, near Seville. #Rome #MosaicMonday #Archaeology
Italica’s Roman amphitheatre was built by Hadrian, who was born in Italica, ruled AD 117-138. 25K people watched regular gladiator fights, wild beast hunts, and presumably criminal executions. It was the Dragonpit, Kings Landing, S7-8, Game of Thrones. My 📷 #RomanSiteSaturday #Archaeology #Rome
It’s all about #Odysseus and #TheOdyssey right now. Last October I saw this fresco in the museum at #OstiaAntica. It depicts Odysseus tied to the mast, his crew with their ears plugged, as they sail past the deadly Sirens. Romans loved #Homer too. From the Domus Fulminata, 3rd C AD. 📷 my own.
Glass luxury perfume bottles with wavy coloured and gold bands. Bottles with gold band and white lid with a hole for the perfume are rare and were probably made in an Alexandrian glass workshop. Crete, Hellenistic (3rd-2nd C BC). My 📷, Heraklion Archaeological Museum. #FindsFriday #Archaeology
Each Roman fort had an aerarium (strong room) sunk below the rear rooms of the Principia (headquarters). The room provided secure storage for soldiers' pay, cohort savings, and valuable administrative records. My 📷, 1. Corbridge, 2-3. Chesters Fort. #RomanFortThursday #Archaeology #RomanBritain
Roman legions and auxiliary cohorts were divided into centuries that contained 80 soldiers. Each century had its own standard carried by a standard bearer. The standard symbolised identity and honour. This relief shows a standard. 📷 my own, Corbridge. #RomanBritain #ReliefWednesday #Archaeology
When did rain become a precious commodity in #northumberland? I’ve almost forgotten how the earth smells after a summer deluge. 📷 my own. #climatechangeisreal #weather
Out now, Claire Fuge’s debut novel is historical fiction with heart for anyone who loves a story about women navigating the world they inhabited at a time when women of high status were pawns in power games played by noblemen. At the same time, these women had agency. #historicalfictionbooks #books
I can’t believe I did not read I Let You Go until this month 12 years after it was first released. @claremackwrites.bsky.social wrote a book that kept me guessing all the way. #Books #AmReading
I was in Applecross, northwest Highlands, lately and was lucky enough to come across this young stag, who was curious enough to watch me while I took his photo. #Scotland #Photography
1/ This lichen-stained cross slab known as The Abbot's Stone is in Clachan Churchyard, Applecross, northwest Scotland. Irish monk, Maelrubha, established a monastery here in AD 673. #scotland #ireland #standingstones #standingstonesunday #archaeology 📷 my own.
We’ve had power outages, torrential rain, and thunder and lightning. Dramatic thunderstorms across northwestern Highland Scotland this evening. ⚡️⚡️⚡️ 📷 my own.
A dilapidated fisherman’s hut at Kenmore near Applecross in Highland Scotland. Originally serving as storage and net-mending spaces for local crews, these are scattered throughout historic fishing villages. They testify to a way of life that’s almost vanished. 📷 my own #Archaeology #Scotland
Shieldaig Island is a 13-hectare, uninhabited island in Loch Shieldaig on the west coast of Scotland. Owned by the National Trust for Scotland, the mature Scots pines were planted in the 1870s. These are a vital sanctuary for birds, seals, and nesting sea eagles. 📷 my own. #Scotland #Shieldaig
This is the place to be in a heatwave. Here, the heat is a ripple. 📷 my own, Applecross peninsula. #scotland #westerros
Roman mosaic showing a masked actor in a tragic play. It is 2nd-3rd C AD, found below modern Cordoba. Possibly representing Oedipus, the actor wears theatrical cothurni (knee high boots) and holds a staff, as blind actors often do. He wears a short tunic and cloak. My 📷 #MosaicMonday #Archaeology
Photo is my own. Taken at the apex of the highest mountain pass in Britain, 1919 ft. The road was built in 1822. Before then, access was only by rough track or sea. It is closed in wintry weather.
Good morning from the Applecross area in the northwest Highlands of Scotland. The Isle of Skye is over the water. Weather is set fair, and I’m in landscape heaven. Have a lovely Monday wherever you find yourself today. #MondayMotivation #MondayVibes
Happy #SummerSolstice northern hemisphere people. I’m in Wester Ross, northwest Highlands of Scotland where it barely darkened last night. In the past, people marked the apex of daylight creating solar calendars in the landscape like #Stonehenge. 📷 mine (Right) #StandingStoneSunday #Archaeology
The monumental panel fragments from Carpow Roman Fortress can be seen in the McManus Museum, Dundee with other finds from this northerly Roman fortress. #Archaeology #RomanBritain #RomanSiteSaturday My 📷 2/2
1. Frag. of inscription from E gate, Carpow Roman Fortress. 2. Frags. of relief panel from S gate, probably had same inscription as 1. Emblems (Pegasus) of Legio II Augusta, the first evidence of their building work in the Severan campaign (early 3rd C AD). #RomanBritain #RomanSiteSaturday My 📷 1/2
From Germany a Roman Cavalry helmet with cheek pieces and neck guard for protection. Highly decorated helmets were parade items. Scenes and figures from Roman myth might have had protective properties for the wearer. I like the imitation ears and hair. #FindsFriday #Archaeolgy 📷 mine, Newsteads