Discovering Anglo Saxon England

Discovering Anglo-Saxon England covers the period from about 400 to 700, from the departure of Roman troops to the triumph of Christianity and the "Age of Bede." It was during this period that waves of migrants--Angles, Saxons, Jutes, and other peoples from northern Germany and southern Scandinavia--created England (the "land of the Angles") from the vestiges of late Roman Britain. This period is often considered a "dark age" because of the dearth of written records. Accounts from later centuries (such as Beowulf and the writings of the Venerable Bede) provide some insight, but archaeology is the source of most of our knowledge. Excavations, such as those of dwellings at West Stow and the Yeavering "palace," offer us a window into what Martin Welch calls Anglo-Saxon "communities in life." Likewise, the cemeteries of farmstead settlements and the magnificent "royal" ship burial at Sutton Hoo present the equivalent "communities in death." Written in an accessible style, Discovering Anglo-Saxon England includes one hundred maps, plans, reconstructions, and photographs, making it an excellent introduction to the archaeology of early England. An appendix of places to visit makes it ideally suited to those planning an excursion of their own.