The Anglo-Saxons Period 4A Part 1 The Treasure of Sutton Hoo
Ground-Breaking Glimpse into Anglo-Saxon Life
Sutton Hoo is a structure comprised of several (18) burialmounds.
The mounds were first examined by Archeologist Basil Brown in The
excavation was short-lived with the oncoming war and theburial
mounds were explored further in the 1980s. The second mound which
held the greatest number of treasures,including a ship, had been
spared from grave robbers. Residual phosphate in the mound
indicates that there may havebeen a corpse buried in the mound. The
grave is believed to have belonged to one of four EastAnglian
Kings, but is believed to be high-ranking members ofAnglo-Saxon
society with the 1980 excavation of smallersurrounding graves,
making the complex a high-caste cemetery. Several of the graves
show evidence of human sacrifice. One of the recent spoils of the
burialmounds include a shield and whatappears to be some sort of
scepter. The original 1938 excavationproduced small luxury items
like goldfibulas and a cloisonn purse cover. Additionally the
aforementionedpurse contained several Merovingiancoins. The ship
also housed silver Byzantinebowls and iron ones of Celticcreation.
The Sutton Hoo excavation and thetreasures uncovered from themounds
provides a new insight intothe effects of cultural diffusionduring
the Anglo-Saxon Period in theform of common conventions
ininsular/Hiberno-Saxon art as well asgiving a glimpse to the
uniquecultural context of Anglo-Saxon life. A ship was hauled up
from the river, a burialchamber was erected in the middle of it,
and astupendous collection of magnificent objects goldand silver
brooches and dishes, the sword of state,drinking horns and a lyre
was set in the burialchamber. -Current Archeology, May 2007. Anglo
Saxon weapons By Tarran Mead 4A
Anglo Saxon armies only consisted of about 250soldiers, even a
kings escort only consisted of about 50soldiers. Spears and
spearheads are found at 86% percent ofburials. There are about 30
different types of spearheads thathave been found. A Scramseax (or
a seax) is a type of utility knife that theAnglo Saxons used, it is
very similar to the buoy knife.Used to carve, fight, eat, etc.
Almost every warrior of the time carried a Seax Axes werent
commonly used as weapons but wereintroduced to fighting by Vikings.
The typical fighting axe was more of hatchet; small,wooden handled
and the user would carry multiplehatchets, the larger two handed
axe was rarely used,but very effective with its weight. (See
picture to theupper right corner to see size variation) Projectile
weapons of the time period included Javelins,bow and arrows,
slings, and any bulk and heavy objectthat could be thrown. There
were many variations ofarrowheads found at burials (left) Swords of
the period had hilts and handlesunique to the age and land (see
picture) thisdesign is found in most swords. It was more common to
use a shorter, lighter,easier to handle sword for combat. Warriors
were always buried with theirweapons When I am dead, lay me in a
mound.Place my weapons by my side, for the journeyto up high Runes
to my memory Though considered brutal or thick skulled,Vikings were
ahead of their time in terms ofweapons and engineering. All of
their weaponswere more effective, stronger and longerlasting.
Extra: Blood Eagle, was a gruesome form oftorture that Vikings
used. The process isrestraining the victim, ripping the skin off
theirbacks, cracking open their ribs and extendingthem to the sides
like wings (hence the eaglepart of the name) and remove the lungs.
All ofthis, while the person is still alive and breathingand
suffocating without their lungs. Anglo-Saxon Clothing Varied
Region, Varied Style
MEN Men wore linen or wool long sleeved undershirts,trousers, and a
tunic on top. They wore belts which held their knives, pouchesand
other accessories. Their shoes were usually a single piece of
leatherfastened with laces or toggles. They started wearing cloaks
and socks during the7th century. WOMEN Women wore wool or linen
long sleeved under- dresses with a dress on top called peplos. The
dresses often went down to their ankles andcovered their neck and
head They decorated their dresses with necklaces,rings and
bracelets Their shoes were a single piece of leather, oftenworn
with socks It was their job to stay home and make clothes CHILDREN
Children often wore the same clothes as adults,just in smaller
sizes For clothing all wear a cloak, fastened with a clasp, or in
its absence, a thorn: they spend whole days on a hearth round the
fire with no other covering. The richest men are distinguished by
the wearing of under-clothes; not loose like those of the Parthians
and Sarmatians, but drawn tight, throwing each limb into relief.
By: Maddy Rupert Anglo-Saxon Jewelry Art and Artifacts
The tastes of the Anglo-Saxons were never very different from the
tastes in the mainland. The price of gold was part of the
attraction. At the gravesite the amount and quality of the jewelry
determined status. Most jewelry was made from bronze, gold, and
silver. Gold and silver were for those of higher class. Anglo-Saxon
jewelry has an impact on goldsmiths work today Anglo-Saxon pins
were used for fastening up the hair. Anglo-Saxon necklaces are
composed of beads of all kinds Fibula: also known as brooches are
the most frequent of all Anglo-Saxon ornaments. There were three
types of brooches: circular jeweled, cruciform brooches, and
concave circular brooches. The type of brooch you wore determined
your class. Anglo-Saxon jewelry occupies an exceedingly important
position in the history of the goldsmiths art. Settlement of
Lindsey By: Allie Duckworth
The settlement of Lindsey was created around 450. Lindsey was based
of the roman city of Lincoln. For a long time Lindsey was under
control of the Mercian's. They were one of the most isolated
settlements because of wetland and thick forests. They called
themselves Lindisware then the name evolved into Lindissi and the
Lindsey. Lindsey was known as on the of the lesser settlements.
Lindsey was located in the northeastern half of the country. The
first Viking attack on Lindsey was around 841. The Danish army came
in around 873. There was a dispute over Lindsey's land between the
Mercians and the Danish. Lindsey was a large island or set of
islands with the district of Hatfield to its northwest along with
the Isle of Axholme. -Michelle Ziegler Wessex Ancient kingdom
Wessex reached its peak in the ninth and tenth centuries. The
victorious forces of Wessex also enforced the submission of Kent,
Essex, Sumeyand Sussex. Wessex was increasing its power but England
was still politically-divided. England's disunity reduced its
ability to withstand the Viking onslaught. Wessex, one of the
kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon, whose ruling dynasty eventuallybecame
kings of the whole country. The Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex is
popularly assumed to have originated aroundits later capital,
Winchester. Wessex, the dominate and most civilized of the
Anglo-Saxon states, ceased to be agovernment entity. The area with
which destination Wessex is concerned was recognized in the
earlyninth century. The ninth century is when the four West Saxon
shires, now counties, were created. In the latter half of the 8th
century, Wessex was a mere satellite of Mercia. Quote: Wessex the
kingdom of the West Saxons would seem to have its origins in the
upperThames valley. This group of Saxons were at first called the
Gewisse, and apparently only becameknown as the West Saxons towards
the end of 7th century. dot-domesday.me.uk By: Phoebe Langeland
KENT The earliest Anlgo-Saxon kingdom
Kent was initially conquered aboutAD 455. It was made up of
Germanic Jutes andCeltic Britons, both in equalproportions. The
kingdom of Kent wasdistinguished for outstandingcraftsmanship in
jewelry, metalwork,and glass. Principle towns in the kingdom
wereCanterbury, Dover, and Rochester. King Hengist was the first
king ofKent and he was a Jute. The transition to Jutish rule was
notpeaceful. Two main battles were fought: Battleof Aylesthrep and
Battle ofCreganford. Both battles resulted in the defeat ofthe
Britons The last king of Kent was Eadberht III. He was attacked by
the king of Mercia,deported there and blinded oncommand of the
king. Politically Kent had no high aspirations -The Oxford
Companion to British History John Cannon London Davis 4A St.
Patrick Beloved Saint and Writer
Saint Patrick was born in 387 A.D. Patrick wasnt interested in
religion as a child. He was not born in Ireland, and is not Irish.
Experts say he was born in a village called Bannavem Taberniae. He
did however grow up in Ireland. At age 16, he was kidnapped and
then sold into slavery. After 6 years as a sheep herder in Slavery,
he turned to religion because he was afraid. He then became a
devout Christian. Saint Patrick wrote his most famous passage
named, confessio. He supposedly walked 200 miles to the coast to
leave captivity. Saint Patrick, now ordained a Priest, was visited
by Angels in England telling him to go back to Ireland. Patrick
preached to the people in Ireland for 40 years until his death. He
died on March 17, 461 A.D. The Myths made him a idol of Irish
pride, so they created a day after him. If I have any worth, it is
to live my life for God so as to teach these peoples; even though
some of them still look down on me. St. Augustine Benedict
Monk
Became the first Archbishop of Canterbury He is considered the
Apostle to the English Founder of the English Church Chosen to lead
the Gregorian mission He converted many of king Aethelberhts people
He baptized thousands of people during mass on Christmas Day in 597
He was more successful with Pagans than with the Christians He was
believed to be born in Rome Died the same year as his mentor, Pope
Gregory Buried at SS. Peter and Paul Pray as though everything
depended on God.Work as though everything depended on you. St.
Augustine By Bailey Moseley Synod of Whitby Religious
Conflict
It was a meeting held by the Church of England. It took place in
664 AD. The problem was the difference between Easter observance
betweenRomans and Celtics. King Oswy of Northumbria held Easter
while his Queen was still fasting,having been brought up under
Roman tradition. King Oswy, and Bishops Colman and Chad represented
Celtic tradition. Alchfrid, Oswys son, and Bishops Wilfrid and
Agilbert represented Romantradition. Colman appealed to the
practices of St. John Wilfrid appealed to those of St. Peter. King
Oswy decided to side with Wilfrid as he believed St. Peter held
thekeys to the Heavens. Not all Celtic churches followed at first,
but they followed in due time. I dare not longer contradict the
decrees of him who keeps the doors of The Kingdom of Heaven, Lest
he should refuse me admission. By Stephen W.
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