The Anglo-Saxon World
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $21.99
Publisher Description
<p>The Anglo-Saxon period, stretching from the fifth to the late eleventh century, begins with the Roman retreat from the Western world and ends with the Norman takeover of England. Between these epochal events, many of the contours and patterns of English life that would endure for the next millennium were shaped. In this authoritative work, N. J. Higham and M. J. Ryan reexamine Anglo-Saxon England in the light of new research in disciplines as wide ranging as historical genetics, paleobotany, archaeology, literary studies, art history, and numismatics. The result is the definitive introduction to the Anglo-Saxon world, enhanced with a rich array of photographs, maps, genealogies, and other illustrations.</p><p>The Anglo-Saxon period witnessed the birth of the English people, the establishment of Christianity, and the development of the English language. With an extraordinary cast of characters (Alfred the Great, the Venerable Bede, King Cnut), a long list of artistic and cultural achievements (Beowulf, the Sutton Hoo ship-burial finds, the Bayeux Tapestry), and multiple dramatic events (the Viking invasions, the Battle of Hastings), the Anglo-Saxon era lays legitimate claim to having been one of the most important in Western history.</p>
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
For a field of history as obscure and shrouded in myth as that of Anglo-Saxon England (from the 400s to the late 11th century), Higham and Ryan, both professors at the University of Manchester, do an excellent job of delving as deep as possible into the past of the ancient isle. Part of that process includes clearing away the many myths and revisionist histories that have threatened to alter, subjugate, or erase altogether the true story of England's complex origins. But Higham and Ryan don't simply dismiss these as unimportant; after all, folklore whether native or imposed is part of a nation's narrative. Geoffrey of Monmouth's 12th-century History of the Kings of Britain, for example, popularized the legend of King Arthur and claimed that Britain was founded by Trojan refugees an assertion that had the effect of "displac and... devalue the Anglo-Saxons, marking them down as pagan, wicked and other." In order to set the record straight, Higham and Ryan opt for a dutifully academic approach, relying heavily on archeological excavations and various historical, cultural, and literary artifacts to weave together a thorough (if occasionally dense) and illuminating textbook-style history. A perfect primer for serious scholars. Photos, maps, and illus. throughout.
