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The famous helmet found atSutton Hoo probably belonged to King Raedwald ofEast Anglia, about 625 AD. Based on a Roman parade helmet design, it has decorations like those on contemporary Swedish helmets found at OldUppsala (from theBritish Museum)
The Anglo-Saxon culture replaced theCeltic culture in the area that is now England. Modern historians do not think that the Anglo-Saxons drove the Celts away, but instead that they became anupper class to the Celts in England, and the Celts then became part of the Anglo-Saxon culture.[2] They createdseven kingdoms in England. They never conqueredWales but Anglo-Saxon kings did claimoverlordship from time to time.[3] Some Anglo-Saxons came toBritain aswarriors, but others camepeacefully to becomefarmers or to raisefamilies.[4]
It is not known how many Anglo-Saxons actually came to Britain between the 4th and 6th centuryAD. Many sources say large numbers of Anglo-Saxon settlers arrived.[5] Because of this, some of the nativeBritons moved west, towardsWales andCornwall. Others went toArmorica and became theBretons. The language of the Anglo-Saxons,Old English, became the main language in southern Britain. A fewCeltic andLatin words were borrowed into Old English.
In the areas such asKent,Sussex,Essex,Suffolk andNorfolk, many of the native Britons may have been driven out.[6] In other areas, some Britons likely remained and were absorbed into Anglo-Saxon society.[7] In 2011, a historian suggested that about 1 or 2 Anglo-Saxons came to England for every 10 Celts that were already there.[2]
It wasBede who identified the invaders as Angles, Saxons and Jutes.[8] But he sometimes used the namesAngli andSaxones for the same people in different parts of his writings.[9] In Book I, Chapter 15 he said that byinvitation of King Vortigern "Anglesor Saxons" came to Britain in threelongships.[10] Modern authorities confirm that Angles, Saxons,Frisians and some Jutes did come to England during thismigration time period.[11] The differences between the tribes that moved to England were not significant.Kent was different in culture from other parts of England, mostly because it had close contact with parts ofEurope such asGaul.[12]
Certain styles ofjewellery are recognized byarchaeologists as being typical of Anglian, Saxon and Jutish areas inNorthern Europe. But why the name England came to be used for the country andEnglish for the language is not clear.[11] InOld English the people called themselvesEngle, and in Latin they were calledAngli, but nothing suggests the Angles made up the largest percentage of theGermanic peoples in Britain.[11] The nameEnglaland, which became 'England' was regularly used by the11th century.[11]
The native British people, who wrote in bothLatin andWelsh (a Celtic language), referred to these invaders asSaxones orSaeson. The latter name is still used today in the Welsh word forEnglish people,Saeson,[13] theEnglish language,Saesneg, and things related to England,Seisnig. In theScottish Gaelic language the word for an English person issasannach and inIrish the word is sasanach.
The Pentney hoard: early 9th century silver brooches
Anglo-Saxon art before the time ofAlfred (who ruled from 871 to 899) is a mixture of Anglo-Saxon and Celtic techniques and styles. TheSutton Hoo treasure is an excellent example of very early Anglo-Saxon metalwork and jewellery. It came from a royal grave of the early 7th century. The period between Alfred and the Norman Conquest saw a distinct Anglo-Saxon style in art. This was due in part to the revival of the English economy and culture after the end of the Viking raids. This later style appears to have been in touch with trends in western Europe.
Anglo-Saxon art is mainly known today throughilluminated manuscripts. Manuscripts were not the only Anglo-Saxon art form, but they have survived in much greater numbers than other types of objects. People in Europe at the time regarded Anglo-Saxon goldsmithing and embroidery as especially fine. The most common examples of Anglo-Saxon art are coins. Anglo-Saxon artists also worked infresco,ivory, stone carving,metalwork andenamel, but few of these pieces have survived.
A very famous work from this period is the poemBeowulf. It has achievednational epic status in Britain. TheAnglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of important early English history.Cædmon's Hymn from the 7th century is the earliest attested literary text in (Old) English. One of the most valuable and important sources onAnglo-Saxon history is Bede'sEcclesiastical History of the English Nation.[11]
↑Nicholas Hooper; Matthew Bennett,The Cambridge Illustrated Atlas of Warfare: The Middle Ages, 768-1487 (Cambridge; New Yori: Cambridge University Press, 1996), p. 70
