Scilicet is an online magazine dedicated to the history of knowledge. We’re interested in stories of everyday life which allow us to dive deep into the ideas, knowledge and beliefs of people in the past.
This magazine was born out of our studies as history PhD students in Scotland during what will surely one day be known as ‘The Covid Era’. Then, and ever since, we’ve been encountering tales and ideas from the past that simply have to be retold. Scilicet is our way of sharing them with you.
The word Scilicet (pronounced [ˈskiː.li.kɛt]) means ‘it is permitted to know’, deriving from the Latin words scire (to know) and licet (it is allowed). It reflects our intention to share anecdotes and insights about historic forms of knowledge with anyone who is interested.
We try to write in a simple rather than simplistic way, bringing to life our lovely-though-often-obscure subjects and historical sources.
I love Italy. So much so, that I dedicated almost a decade and a half to studying its history, focusing mainly on the Late Medieval and Renaissance periods. I am interested in social, urban, and spatial histories of northern Italian communes (particularly Bologna), as well as in anything fifteenth-century humanists were up to. You can find me on Bluesky @GuyFassler
Guy Fassler
Natalie Smith
James Fox
My focus is on the history of Sweden, and includes territories which used to be part of the Swedish Empire. My interests lie in the intersection of power relations, empire, national identity, institutions, and the history of science. This work is primarily grounded in the early modern period, but also extends to the twentieth-century eugenics movement. You can find me on Bluesky @nataliesmith
My work centres on the history of everyday skills and knowledge among ordinary people in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Britain. I am particularly interested in numeracy within the broader context of the social and cultural history of knowledge and communication in the early modern world. You can find me on Bluesky @jamesafox