ANGLO-SAXON ENGLAND

The earliest known people in England were the Celts, a simple people who were known for their vivid imaginations and the lyricism of their tale-telling, including such wonderful legends as the stories of King Arthur and the magical Merlin. The Celts were believed to have been Druids, with priests who worshiped at such shrines to nature as Stonehenge, perhaps practicing human sacrifice along with other magical rituals. Stonehenge itself, a prehistoric monument, is believed by some to have been constucted from stones magically transported from the nearest site its quarrying by the magic of Merlin. To learn more about the Druids and the great stone ring called Stonehenge, click on the link below:

Stonehenge,England

The next people to occupy the island country we are beginning to study were the Romans under Julius Caesar in 43 B.C. Caesar's Gallic Wars refers to this northernmost part of the empire he ruled as Brittania. Remains of Roman occupation can be seen especially in Chester, an ancient city whose name derives from the Roman name for a camp, castra, and Bath, the beautiful city in central England where the ancient baths of Roman times can still be seen.

Romans in Britain Ancient Bath's Roman Influences
Some of the oldest and most famous historical remains in the city of Bath are the Roman baths. They were built around the natural hot spring, which rises at 46.5 degrees centigrade.Established between the first and fifth centuries AD, the main features were the Great Bath and a gilt bronze sculpted head of the goddess Sulis Minerva.

The remains are remarkably complete and among the finest in Europe and include ancient coins, jewelry and further examples of sculpture.

In 449 A. D., Germanic tribes from Scandinavia began to stir across Europe. Into England came the Angles, the Saxons, and the Jutes, barbaric tribes who pushed out the Celts who remained after the Romans had pulled back with the end of the great powers of the Roman Empire. See the map below for the parts of England in which these people settled.

Map

The Angles, Saxons, and Jutes were warrior peoples, living in tribes ruled by tribal chieftans called the Ring-Giver, and predominately including eorls or thanes, the warriors, with a conquered people called ceorls (churls), slaves who held no power at all. The few churls who earned freedom were called freemen. Women had a minor role in the society, and are seldom even mentioned in the epics and other fragments of literature from the time. Take a look at the styles of dress from the times with these sites:

Men's Clothing Women's Clothing

Hungry? Take a look at some Anglo-Saxon recipes:

recipes

Anglo-Saxon kings were not very notable, except for the one famous ruler, Alfred the Great. He is often still considered the greatest king England (Angleland) has ever had. He established education for the people, had the first history of England written in Old English kept as The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, established the first navy, and made the country strong enough to fight off its enemy, the Danes, by establishing Danelaw. See some artifacts of his times at the sites below:

The Anglo-Saxon Kings The Alfred Jewel Art and Artifacts from Museums

The Anglo-Saxons spoke Old English, a language very different from modern English. Listen to some of its sounds at the following site:
Sounds of Old English
Get a chuckle out of this familiar modern song translated into Old English.

Hrudolph the Hred-nosed Hreindeer

Although the Anglo-Saxons were pagans who worshipped many gods, including Woden, Tui, Thor, Fria, and WYRD, goddes of Fate, they were converted to Christianity by the great missionaries, Augustine and the Venerable Bede. See one of the earliest cathedrals at Durham, and visit the tomb of Bede at this site:

Virtual tour of Durham Cathedral and tomb of Bede

The Anglo Saxons dominated England until 1066, when William, Duke of Normandy, claimed his rights of succession to the throne following the death of Edward the Confessor. William defeated Harold, the other contender for the throne, at the Battle of Hastings, bringing an end to the era and beginning what historians call the Middle Ages in English history. See the famous tapestry that tells the story of that famous battle here:

The Bayeux Tapestry

Anglo-Saxon literature consists of some lyric poems, "The Wanderer"and "The Seafarer," some interesting riddles, and the famous epic, Beowulf. Read these works in your textbook. See the site listed below to read some of Beowulf in Old English.

Beowulf