How to be a Holy Man and a Pragmatist: The story of Hybald
Any type of leader will often have to balance their convictions with pragmatism. For a seventh-century Anglo-Saxon abbot, perhaps there could be a way to display both.
Collapse, Reconfiguration or Renegotiation? The Strange End of the Mercian Kingdom, 850-924
The Kingdom of Mercians is generally assumed to have come to an end, largely as a result of Viking incursions, in the late ninth century
“In the resurrection, no weakness will remain”: Perceptions of disability in Christian Anglo-Saxon England
This paper will focus on perceptions of physical impairment in the later Anglo-Saxon period (c. 800–1066 AD).
How the borders of Wessex changed in the Anglo-Saxon Era
Tracking the development of the Kingdom of Wessex between the years 495 and 927.
The ritual recycling of Roman building material in late 4th- and early 5th-century Britain
This article examines the widespread late- and post-Roman practice in Britain of including recycled Roman building material in ritual activities, especially in closure deposits made in wells.
Anglo-Saxon cemetery discovered
Archaeologists from the University of Sheffield have uncovered a previously unknown Anglo-Saxon cemetery.
Staffordshire Hoard helmet reconstructions revealed
After spending years studying hundreds of fragments and then using both cutting-edge technology and ancient craft techniques, two reconstructions have been made of the magnificent helmet contained within the Staffordshire Hoard.
Worlds of Arthur: Reflections on the fictional world of post-Roman Britain
I would suggest that post-Roman Britain is one of those periods in which there is a particular intimacy to the relationship between history and historical fiction.
Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms: Art, Word, War opens at the British Library
The British Library has opened what they are calling the largest ever exhibition on Anglo-Saxon England.
Royal Daughters in Anglo-Saxon England
The daughters of Anglo-Saxon kings included among their number faithful wives, devout saints, land magnates, military leaders, and even murderers.
Slave Trading in the British Isles and the Czech Lands, 7th-11th Centuries
This thesis examines slave trading from a regional, comparative perspective for the British Isles and the Czech lands, from the seventh through eleventh centuries.
Searching for Brunanburh: The Yorkshire Context of the ‘Great War’ of 937
The location of Brunanburh, however, is still an unsolved mystery. For the last 300 years or more, antiquarians and historians have puzzled over the question. Over thirty sites have been suggested, but none has passed rigorous scrutiny, let alone gained general acceptance.
What Anglo-Saxon teeth can tell us about modern health
Evidence from the teeth of Anglo-Saxon children could help identify modern children most at risk from conditions such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease.
Heart, Hand, and Mind: Grasping the Cross in Early Medieval England
Far removed from the bodies they once adorned and the graves which from which they were unearthed gold cross pendants richly inlaid with garnets sit behind glass in various museums in Great Britain.
The return to hill forts in the Dark Ages: what can this tell us about post-Roman Britain?
After being abandoned for nearly 400 years, some of the ancient Iron Age hill forts were re-occupied and re-fortified in the later fifth and early sixth centuries. Interestingly, some ‘new’ hill forts were also erected at this time.
“As pounded gaping metal”: Translating Saint Aldhelm’s Aenigmata
Perhaps the greatest pleasure of translating the Aenigmata came from the fact that doing the work well required a scavenger hunt through Anglo-Saxon life—from history to medicine to food and many other arcane topics.
Dress pins from Anglo-Saxon England
This thesis examines the development, production and function of dress pins in Anglo- Saxon England.
Glass Island, by Gareth Griffith
Read an excerpt from Glass Island, a debut novel by Gareth Griffith, set in 6th century Britain.
Fulfilling Gregory’s goal: the conversion of the Anglo-Saxon people
The conversion of the Anglo-Saxons in the seventh century AD was a complex process that involved several stages.
Queen’s researchers exploring Anglo-Saxons knowledge of astronomy and the undiscovered ‘Planet Nine’
“The idea for this study came about from the strong desire to challenge the common assumption and perceived lack of scientific enquiry in the early Middle Ages, or commonly referred to as ‘Dark Ages’. This was the spark that ignited the intellectual collaboration between a medievalist and an astronomer.”
Stowford: an early medieval hundred meeting place
In the summer of 2015 archaeological excavation sought to examine the location of an early medieval hundred meeting place (‘moot’) in southern Wiltshire.
Anglo-Scandinavian Literature and the Post-Conquest Period
This thesis concerns narratives about Anglo-Scandinavian contact and literary traditions of Scandinavian origin which circulated in England in the post-conquest period.
The control of Kent in the ninth century
To one who lived through the political turmoil in England during the second half of the ninth century, the most significant aspect of a changing world must have been the intensification of Viking raids, culminating with the ‘conquests’ of the ancient kingdoms of East Anglia, Mercia and Northumbria.
‘Sisters Under the Skin’? Anglo-Saxon Nuns and Nunneries in Southern England
The history of female monastic life in Anglo-Saxon England has generally been seen as falling into two distinct phases conveniently separated by the Carolingian Renaissance and the Viking invasions of the ninth century.
