Tag: Dark ages

Who Were the Saxons, Jutes, Angles and Vikings? Know Your Dark Age Germanic Peoples

Fellow residents of our Early-Medieval Britannia! Many of you will have become aware of strange men coming from oversees to our green and pleasant island home.

You may be wondering who these people are, what they have come for and how long they plan to stay. To we Britons, their barbarian and guttural languages all sound very much the same… but let me inform you that in fact these visitors actually come from different places and each have different cultures- though they share many traits, they will be offended if you should accidentally confuse them for one another. So how do you tell your Jute from your Angle, for example?

This ye olde Heritage-key guide should clarify all for you.

Angles – Jutes – Saxons – Vikings

If you should see them around, BEWARE, early indications are that they are not just here for a spot of sightseeing and may be dangerous!

The Angles

When might they arrive?

The Angles are scheduled to arrive in the 5^thcentury AD.

We can expect them to be very powerful, until someone else comes to knock them from their perch… perhaps the Vikings in around 867 AD, for example… (a wild stab in the dark).

Where are they from?

The Roman historian Tacitus mentioned the Anglii in his Germania, a book about Germany (obviously) written back in around 98 AD and their name is believed to derived from their homeland of Angeln, as it is called in Old English. It is situated on the narrow peninsula between the North and Baltic seas, in the central part of the peninsula which will later be called ‘Schleswig-Holstein’. This territory is so littered by marshes, rivers and inlets that even the Romans never could get to grips with it. It all sounds a bit bleak over there, so it’s not surprising they want a look at our verdant and foresty pastures.

Where are they headed?

The Angles are coming in large numbers! So many in fact that it seems they may be abandoning their homeland and all but a few of them will be turning up on our eastern and southern coasts. There’ll be so many we may as well start calling our homeland ‘Angleland’ if we aren’t careful (but that would be a ridiculous name)! We forecast particularly strong presences in the North and East, in places they call ‘Northumberland’ and ‘East Anglia’ in their language. We may also see them as far inland as ‘Mercia’, slap bang in the middle of our fine Celtic land.

Do they worship a god?

Tacitus had them down as one of several peoples who venerated the goddess Nerthus, along with other pagan gods. Pope Gregory may have other plans for them… it is said after seeing some sweet little slave children of this people he asked Where are they from?.

When told they were from Angeln he punned Well that is well, for they have angel faces, and such people should share with the angels in heaven.

At that moment it is said he swore to convert them from their pagan ways.

Until that happens the Angles will retain their pantheon of gods, which they share with all the Germanic peoples. Most prominent among these is Woden, the leader of ‘the wild hunt‘. Secondary to him is Thunor, the thunder god. Some others from the pantheon include Ingui, Tiw and Helith (fertility, war, and marriage gods). They use these gods to identify their weekdays: Tiw’s day, Woden’s day, Thunor’s day, Frige’s day (Frige is believed to be Woden’s wife).

See Angles – Jutes – Saxons – Vikings

The Jutes

When might they arrive?

Expect them in around the 5^th and 6^th centuries AD – much like theAngles.

Where are they from?

The Jutes (or Iuti or Iutae) come from a land that will one day be called Jutland in their honour, and the venerable Bede tells me they are from the northern part of that peninsula, to be specific, further north than the Saxons or Angles.

Where are they headed?

The Jutes are headed a bit more southwards than the Angles. Their proverbial towels have been thrown in reservation over the Southern areas of our island. So get prepared if you are in Kent, Hampshire or the Isle of Wight and of Celtic descent, as we don’t expect them to leave any time soon – there is a moderate to high risk that you will be absorbed, displaced or – worse – destroyed! So pack an umbrella! (whatever an umbrella is.)

Take comfort from the fact that the same thing may well happen to them one day, once the West Saxons arrive.

Anything else?

The Jutes are a bit more suave and debonair than their Germanic cousins. They’ll probably try and adopt some aspects of Roman and Christian culture, knowing them. They will also be ahead of their peers in adopting funerary burial, instead of cremation. They use ‘Partible Inheritance’ (dividing between heirs as opposed to primogeniture), which should be helpful for people in the future to set them apart from the other German peoples whilst digging around into history.

See Angles – Jutes – Saxons – Vikings

The Saxons

When might they arrive?

It’s going to busy in the North Sea for a while – the Saxons will, like the Jutes and Angles, be heading over for much of the 5th and 6th centuries AD. East coast fishermen look out, you won’t be able to move for boat loads of colonisers. The name of this lot may be related to a type of distinctive knife they use, the Seax. Look out for those in future on the emblems of Essex and Middlesex.

Where are they from?

They are from Southern Jutland, on the Baltic coast, and as such have plenty of room to expand further southwards and westwards into Europe, though in doing so they’ll be treading on the toes of Charlemagne and his Franks, so there’s likely to be a clash there one day.

Where are they headed?

Expansive is their middle name. The Saxons are expected to lay claim to lands all along the East Coast. They’re a bit sex mad this lot, they like the word ‘Sex’ so much that they are liable to set up kingdoms with names like West Sex, East Sex, and South Sex (or Wessex, Essex and Sussex for short).

Any distinguishing features?

The languages of the Jutes, Angles and Saxons are very similar, as is that of the Fresians on the coast of the lowland European countries, so there’s not much to separate them there. You may be able to tell a Saxon from his brooch; whilst the Angles and Jutes prefer cross shaped brooches, the Saxon will often wear a round one. Look for his pottery too – the Saxons are fans of curvilinearly decorated pottery.

See Angles – Jutes – Saxons – Vikings

The Vikings

When might they arrive?

Sensibly the Vikings are going to avoid the rush in the 5^th and 6^th centuries and join us between the 9^th and 11^th centuries, by which time the other Germanic peoples will have been able to establish themselves on our shores. The Vikings have a reputation for being more warlike than the others and they will come here with no good intentions! By raiding the by then established and flourishing Anglo-Saxons they will be be able to acquire tremendous wealth to take back to Scandinavia.

Where are they from?

They’re frrom the Danish Peninsula and the coastal areas of Sweden and Norway. The word ‘Viking‘ is from the word ‘wicing’, our own Old English word meaning pirate. In their homelands the Vikings use primogeniture to determine inheritance (the eldest son is bequeathed everything), and when birth rates are high that means there are many men who do not inherit. Those men must choose between working on their brothers’ land or joining one of the many raiding parties which set off across the known world and even into the unknown world. When they see the riches with which their countrymen return from such expeditions, it is not surprising they find so many men to join their raiding parties, if only on a season-on, season-off basis for many.

What do they look like?

There is no particularly obvious look to set them apart from the other northern Germanic peoples. When raiding they may wear round leather skull caps and the successful soldier may even have a round metal helmet with a nose guard, but this is rare. Leather body armour is a possibility, but many raiders are just on expeditions during the summer – they are not career raiders who have acquired all the most modern accoutrements of armour. Look out for their distinctive large round shields. These Vikings have a curious custom: they bathe as often as once a week and comb their hair regularly; most unusual behaviour and most unhealthy!

Where are they headed?

Everywhere. If it has a coast, the Vikings will raid it eventually, from Scandinavia, round Europe, to as far as Constantinople, to the interior of the black sea and even down the rivers of Russia to the Caspian, they have no limits to their range. It is even said they have stumbled across a whole new landmass far, far away across the Western Ocean. Nowhere in Britain is to be safe from their raiding, though settlement will be confined to some extent. Northumbria can expect settlement from the ninth century onwards, but it will come as late as the 11^th for much of southern and central zones. If you live in those areas then you’d best lock up your daughters.

Given half a chance they’ll try and establish their own settlements, with names ending in things like ‘-by’ (homestead), -thorpe (an outlying settlement), ‘-borg’ (castle) or ‘-wick’ (bay). Once these settlements are in place, they will instate their laws and create a separate Scandinavian territory. The ‘Danelaw’ would be a nice name for this Viking state on our island. If this should happen, it would take a great leader to unite the Saxons and rid us of the Vikings!

See Angles – Jutes – Saxons – Vikings

Now you know how to differentiate these newcomers, find out who were London’s most influential invaders (you might be surprised!) or follow us following the Vikings in our ‘Ancient World in London‘ video series. Feel like dressing up as a Viking? Take up one of the challenges to join us at the live event and win the Grand Prize:a lovely one-week break in Turkey.

Is there an Assyrian royal inscription waiting to be deciphered at Tayinat?

There is some interesting news coming from Tayinat that Heritage Key will be reporting on soon as part of a larger article.

Tayinat is the site in southeast Turkey that has been making media headlines for the discovery of a tablet cache. It wasfound in atemple that was reported, in many outlets, to have stood during the Dark Ages.

I sat down with Professor Timothy Harrison, the project leader, to learn about what they found.

News on the tablet discovery

First bit of news, an update on the tablet cache discovered this summer.

In 738 BC Tiglath Pilesar III destroyed Tayinat and the site would later be rebuilt as a provincial capital for the Assyrians. The tablets date to this time of Assyrian occupation.

Right now (as per Turkish archaeological policy) the tablets are in storage in a museum. Conservation work will likely be continuing during the winter and, hopefully, somefulltranslations will appear in the spring.

At this point the team has only a general idea as to what the tablets say. One of the tablets reads like a spreadsheet according to Professor Harrison and listscommodities such as wheat and emmer, along with numbers that represent months of the year.

The format of the document indicates that its clearly either a literary or historical document it may well prove to be something like a royal inscription

One of the tablets however, appears to be something else, its 45 cm by 35 cm in size and the format suggests that its no ancient commodity list.

The format of the document indicates that its clearly either a literary or historical document it may well prove to be something like a royal inscription, Professor Harrison told me.

I’ve requested photographs of the front of the tablets, however the Tayinat project will not be releasing them right now. They want the epigraphers to have a shot at translating them first, before they are disseminated over the internet.

News on the Dark Age temple

Second bit of news – the Dark Age temple, reported widely in the media, doesnt date to that time. I talked to Professor Harrisonfor a half-hour interview, and followed it up with an email exchange just to make sure.

The earliest architecture, from the temple, dates to the 9th and 8th centuries the time-frame after the Dark Ages. The team has a lot of excavating to do in the years to come, and they might find a Dark Age temple layer yet, but they dont know for sure that they will.

“Our excavations in the temple have not yet reached Early Iron Age levels (ie the ‘Dark Age’ period). I anticipate that they will, but in archaeology you never know what you might, or might not, find,”Harrison wrote in an email.

How this erroneous information got into the media is complicated. First of all, there was a release from the University of Toronto in the spring, which said the temple dates from the 10th/9th centuries.

In fact the team cannot say that the temple existed in the 10th century, at least not yet. Professor Harrison hastried to clarify the dating in media interviews.

Second thing is that there seems to be misconception, in some of the reporting, as to how long the Dark Ages last. The Dark Age period starts in 1200 BC and goes until 900 BC. The 9th/8th centuries are not the Dark Ages.

Be sure to check out our in-depth articlewhich will explain, in detail, what does date to the Dark Age at Tayinat. I assure you, there will be lots of interesting stuff.

Top Five Treasures from the Staffordshire Hoard of the Kingdom of Mercia

The recent discovery of the Staffordshire Hoard has turned up over 1,500 pieces of stunning gold and silver artfacts from the 7th century Dark Ages era. The find has been described as “unparalleled” and represents the largest haul of Anglo-Saxon treasure ever to have been discovered, within an area which was the heartland of theKingdom of Mercia. The Mercian tribe was particularly aggressive in their conquests and fought to expand the land in their control – centered on the valley of the river Trent, what today is the English Midlands – in wars against Northumbria and East Anglia. Out of the more than thousand artefacts, we’ve chosen the 5 most astonishing ones to show to you.

Although the quantity itself is impressive, that should not detract from the quality of the finds. These were amongst the highest quality being produced by Anglo-Saxon metalworkers, and the artefacts that were revealed today in Birmingham would have belonged to the highest levels of aristocracy of ‘the Border People’ (the Old English Mierce, of which ‘Mercia’ is a Latinisation actually means exactly that).

But what are the highlights of the Staffordshire find?Heritage Key offers its Top Five:

1. Golden Folded Cross

This Gold Cross bears five roundels and a D-shaped plate, of which three of the lateral roundels are fitted with ears. Rivet holes for fittings (some of which were found) are also present. Many of the finds at the site had been damaged prior to deposition, and the gold had been twisted or bent, and in some cases broken. It is believed that the the damage is not a result of malicious intent, but that simply the objects were squashed in storage. The Golden Folded Cross is one of the few non-warfare related items to be found – the fact it was folded suggests that it was squashed for burial. It’s possible that this was done by pagans due to the lack of respect shown when burying it, although that is not to suggest it can’t have been done by a Christian.

2. Sword Hilt Fitting

So far, 84 pommel caps and 71 Hilt collars have been indentified from the excavation site. A hilt fitting is a highly decorated piece which would have been attached to a sword or a seax (a short knife/sword).Usually created from gold and meticulously crafted with garnets and elaborate decorations. Such expensive decor would only have been reserved for the highest noblemen of the time. To find a single hilt fitting is in itself a notable discovery, but to find so many in a single excavation is simply extrodinary!

3. Gold Strip with Inscription

This strip of gold is inscribed with biblical verses on both sides. An animal head adorns one end, whilst the other ends in a setting. When translated, the inscription reads “rise up, o Lord, and may thy enemies be scattered and those who hate thee be driven from thy face”. The handiwork on the inscription seems to suggest that the engraver was someone who was more used to working on wax tablets, and the style of the lettering has suggested the artefact is from the seventh or early eighth century.

4. Cheek Piece

This is the side panel for a helmet which would have looked very similar to the now-iconic one found at the Sutton Hoo burial. Though low in gold content, the piece includes the striking depiction of running, interlaced animals. More pieces of the helmet have been unearthed, though it may take some time to fit the parts together. One shows a beautifully detailed animal figure, and is probably the helmet’s crest.

5. Millefiori Stud

This small stud, rounded by gold, is a great example of early work with Millefiori, an early glasswork technique which was also prevalent in the Sutton Hoo haul. It would have most probably been used as a scabbard fitting, and the black-and-white chequered centrepiece give the piece a really British feel; you can almost feel the Round Table in its design.

The most important pieces of the ‘Staffordshire Hoard’ will be on display at the Birmingham Museum from now until the 13th October, after which they will be taken to the British Museum in London for valuation.

Images from Portable Antiquities and Staffordshire Hoard website. Thanks to Sean Williams for his contribution to this entry.

The Staffordshire Hoard – Largest Treasure of Anglo-Saxon Gold Ever Found

The largest collection of beautiful quality gold and silver treasures from the seventh century Anglo-Saxon period has been discovered in a field by a plucky metal detectorist, who’s previous plights had bought up no more than a Roman horse harness. Over 1,500 pieces have been found in a private field in Staffordshire, amounting to over 5kg in gold and 1.3kg in silver.

The report of this find comes just weeks after the news of 10,000 Roman coins in neighbouring Shropshire being discovered, as well as news of the Vale of York hoard being purchased by the British Museum for over 1 million. So it’d appear that owning a metal detector could be a worthy investment!Terry Herbert, the amateur treasure hunter who lives alone in his council flat, claiming disability benefits, now stands to claim a share of at least a 1 million finder’s reward as local museums raise funds to keep the hoard in the county.

The seventh century represented the Dark Ages for the country – England didn’t exist yet, and instead the land was made up of several small tribal kingdoms who were often in a state of war with one another. The spot where the Hoard lay for the past millennium and a half is in the heart of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Mercia, although the exact position has not been revealed for security reasons.

Christianity, first introduced to the country by the Romans and then forced to near extinction, had returned to the land and is evident in some of the finds in the hoard, which amongst weaponry and helmets, included biblical inscriptions and Christian crosses.

Staffordshire local history collections officer and specialist in Saxo-Norman Staffordshire pottery Deb Klemperer was moved to tears by the find. She said “The Dark Ages in Staffordshire have never looked so bright nor so beautiful. This incredible find will sit alongside numerous collections of archaeological remains which are interpreted within the context of the geological, natural and social history of our area.”

The principal pieces of the find will be shown at the Birmingham Museum from now until the 13th October, after which they will be taken to the British Museum in London for valuation.

Discovery of Tablets in Dark Age Temple at Tayinat

An archaeological team, led by University of Toronto professor Tim Harrison, has uncovered a cache of tablets in a temple thatwas built duringthe ‘Dark Age’ period, after the collapse of several Bronze Age civilizations.

The temple is at the site of Tayinat in southeastern Turkey.

Tayinat has a long history, which stretches from the early Bronze Age (nearly 5,000 years ago) to the end of the Iron Age, about 2,500 years ago.

The ‘Dark Age’ is a period that begins around the 12th century BC It sees the simultaneous collapse of several civilizations in Europe and the Middle East.

In the Aegean, the sites of the Mycenaean civilization became abandoned after 1,200 BC, with all traces of it disappearing by 1,000 BC. In Anatolia the Hittites fell at almost the same time. Meanwhile in Egypt the New Kingdom ended in the 11th century B.C with the country heading into the ‘third intermediate period.’ It would not re-emerge as an independent, unified state, for several centuries.

So a temple constructed around the 10th century BC, during this ‘Dark Age,’ is a rather unusual find and suggests that, at least at this one site, life was continuing on with some sense of normalcy. It was partially uncovered in 2008 and the archaeologists, as I write this, are continuing their excavations. They announced just recently that they have found a cache of tablets.

“The tablets, and the information they contain, may possibly highlight the imperial ambitions of one of the great powers of the ancient world”

These tablets are a very recentdiscovery and its uncertain which of them date from when. Its likely that many of them post-date thisDark Ageperiod of collapse. The team said that in 738 BC a re-emergent Assyrian empire paid a visit to Tayinat (wrecking destruction of course) and turned it into a provincial capital. If the tablets date to this time then they will provide an invaluable look into life at the edge of the Assyrian empire.

The tablets, and the information they contain, may possibly highlight the imperial ambitions of one of the great powers of the ancient world, and its lasting influence on the political culture of the Middle East,” Professor Harrison said in a news release.

Jobs for Witches at Wookey Hole Caves

Wookey Hole Caves, is planning to bring its ancient history to life by hiring a resident witch to live in the caves and teach tourists about their history and craft. Hours are seasonal, but this is no pocket money summer job the owners of the caves are offering 50k (pro rata) for the right witch.

The original Wookey Witch is thought to have lived in the caves during Britains Dark Ages, and put a curse on a local romance, before being turned into a stallagtite in return.

The Dark Ages are thought to have begun when the defeat of the last Western Roman Empire leader Romulus Augustulus in 476AD brought about the fall of the Roman Empire, bringing Britain down with it. There are few written records from the period, and scant evidence even of pottery, and historians are unsure of what went on during this unilluminated era.

The original Wookey Witch would be a far cry from the idea of witches that we have today. Despite her bad rep, the witches of the Dark Ages were generally thought of as doddering and harmless old ladies, eccentric and self-sufficient, with a knowledge of herbs – although this particular witch clearly had a bit of a chip on her shoulder when it came to courting. One writer explains:

‘During the darkest of dark ages in Britain… witches were thought to exist on the outer fringes of society, dabbling in various dark arts but not necessarily in evil or in practices harmful to the larger community. During these undocumented centuries, they were thought of as mostly isolated, curious figures, interested in magic or fairies. Examples might be those such as the Merlin character in the King Arthur legends or the fringe figures in Shakespeare’s MacBeth.’

Later, when the number of witches increased, conventional society took umbrage, and the image of witches evolved into the evil incarnation that children still think of today. By this time, society was just finding its religious feet again after the squabbling of the Dark Ages, and religious leaders decided to clamp down forcefully on the practice. By the Middle Ages, thousands of women were being killed across Europe in the now-famous witch hunts.

Lions and Hyenas and Mammouths… oh my!

But the Wookey Witch wasnt the first inhabitant of the caves. Archaeologists have discovered that the caves have been used by humans for 50,000 years. Artefacts from the Iron Age have been found, as well as evidence of Roman occupation. According to The Modern Antiquarian:

Only the first chamber, lit by daylight, was occupied. In 1912 an archaeologist Herbert Balch excavated the site. Pottery found there dates this occupation to the late Iron Age and into the time after the Roman occupation. The discovery of the bones of two goats, a pot, and the remains of a tethering post indicate that part of the outer chamber had also been used as a goat pen; and nearby was found an almost complete skeleton of an old woman, plus a dagger, knife, billhook and a stalagmite / alabaster ball…

‘Workmen digging the canal in 1857 found the remains of prehistoric man, including flint tools, as well as the bones of animals such as hyenas, mammoths, rhinoceros and lions.

Caverns of the Stars

The caves are now transformed into a major tourist attraction, with its own museum and all the usual facilities, plus its own-brand cheddar cheese (the temperature of the caverns are perfect for cheese-making). They have also been used as a set for films, including several scenes from the Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, as well as Robin of Sherwood and an episode of Dr Who.

Despite the ancient setting, the life of the new Wookey Witch will be a far cry from that of his or her spiritual ancestors. Public perception of British witches has come full circle, from harmless eccentrics to feared sorceresses, and back to harmless eccentrics again. But this time, there’s a very attractive salary package on top.

Auditions take place at Wookey Hole Caves on 28th July.