ANGLO-SAXSON PERIOD ( ) Stonehenge (c BC)

Transcription

1 ANGLO-SAXSON PERIOD ( ) Stonehenge (c BC)

2 Between 800 and 600 BC, two groups of Celts moved into the British isles: The Britons settled in Britain. The Gaels settled in Ireland.

3 Farmers and hunters Organized into tightly knit clans Introduced the use of iron to Europe (tools and weapons) Highly developed religion, mythology, and legal system that specified individual rights

4 Disputes were settled by a class of priests known as Druids Druids presided over religious rituals (sacrifices and prayers) Druids also memorized and recited long, heroic poems to preserve the people s history Druids acted as intermediaries between the gods and people Celtic legends are full of strong women, like Queen Maeve of Connacht in Ireland.

5 Earliest inhabitants of Britons Left no writing all knowledge is from the archeology evidence Romans conquered them in 1 Century AD Around 407, Roman legion was needed at Rome

6 In 55 BC and 56 BC, Julius Caesar made hasty invasions. True conquest, however, occurred 100 years later under the Roman emperor Claudius in 43 AD. Roman rule of Britain lasted for nearly 400 years, ending only when Rome was threatened in Italy. The last Roman legions left for Rome in 407 AD

7 Constructed a system of well-paved roads and founded cities Erected Hadrian s Wall to protect from Picts ( painted ones in Latin) and Scots Brought skills in the art of warfare Introduced Roman law and order Used Latin Introduced Christianity (597 AD) Failed to teach the Britons much about self-defense

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9 Roman Roads: 5,000 miles of stone roads Linked tribal capitals and towns, especially London, York, Winchester Facilitated trade, the collection of taxes, and the movement of troops Hadrian s Wall: Linked the North Sea and the Atlantic Held back the Picts and Scots for 250 years

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11 The Angles, Saxons, and Jutes (Germanic invaders) The Angles, Saxons, and Jutes came from Denmark, Holland, Germany, and Scandinavia. In about 450 the Anglo Saxons began to settle in England. 6th century: Jutes had occupied Kent and Hampshire The Saxons had established the kingdoms of Sussex, Wessex, Middlesex and Essex The Angles were in control of the Northern and Eastern area of England.

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13 Common language: Old English ancestor of present day English Language: Oral form poetic tales about their past Three tribes created the Anglo-Saxon England (Angloland) that lasted until 1066

14 Hard fighters and bold sea warriors Admired physical strength, bravery, loyalty, fairness, and honesty Great love of personal freedom Boastful, reckless, cruel, and bloodthirsty Enjoyed conflict, swimming matches, horse races, banqueting, drinking mead, singing songs, and storytelling Also flyting, a conflict of wits between two warriors where each praises his own deeds and belittles the other s

15 The wife of an earl or thane supervised weaving and dyeing of clothes, the slaughter of livestock, the making of bread, beekeeping, and the brewing of mead (fermented honey). Women inherited and held property. Married women retained control over their property. With the coming of Christianity, many women entered religious communities, and some became powerful abbesses.

16 The communal hall offered shelter and a place for council meetings. The communal hall was also a place for storytellers or bards (scops) who shared (orally) the stories of the Anglo-Saxons and their gods and heroes. The Anglo-Saxons valued storytelling as equal to fighting, hunting, and farming. A line of Anglo-Saxon or Old English poetry is characterized by four main stresses and is divided in half by a pause (caesura).

17 Pagan, polytheistic Very pessimistic view of life (due to the ever-present dangers of death by accident or warfare) Human life in the hands of fate (wyrd) Did not believe in an afterlife Immortality only earned through heroic actions Sharp contrast to the Christian belief in an individual s free will

18 The early Anglo-Saxons worshipped ancient Germanic or Norse gods: Odin/Woden: chief of the gods, god of death, poetry, and magic Fria: Woden s wife and goddess of the home Tiu: the god of war and the sky Thunor/Thor: god of thunder and lightening Frijz/Frigga: queen of the heavens The names of these gods survive today in our words Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday The dragon: personification of evil and death and the protector of treasure (the grave mound); also associated with the Vikings