Anglo-Saxons Presentation by Rebecca Patrick and Tara MacTaggart

Who were the Anglo-Saxons? ► Ruled for six centuries: approximately 450 to ► Little is known about the first settlers. ► People from different areas (the Angles, the Saxons, and the Jutes) most likely thought of themselves as different, but just sharing a language and having similar customs. ► Different areas were divided into “shires”. Though they were all administered differently, they all had specific people in charge of justice and tax collection. ► The order of social classes were the King, upper class thanes, lower class ceorls, and slaves at the bottom.

The Rise of their Empire ► Britain had been ruled by the Romans for approximately 400 years, but problems in Rome caused the Romans to go back to modern Italy. ► This gave the Anglo-Saxons the ability to go to modern day England and take over, as the British had relied on the Romans for military. ► It is not known why the Anglo-Saxons went to Britain, but it is thought to be because there was lots of natural resources and good soil in England at the time.

Farming and Food ► Many people in the countryside were farmers. Ceorls worked together on farms and shared the end product. Ceorls worked the land for money. ► Common crops grown were wheat, oats, and lentils. ► The only available sweetener at the time was honey, there was no sugar. ► Oxen and horses were used for heavy labour on farms as well as for transportation.

Leisure ► Travelling was used for trade and also for fun. However, if you weren’t recognized you were thought to be an outsider and could be killed. ► Games they enjoyed included chess and various games with dice. Riddles were also popular, along with horse racing. ► Entertainers were jugglers, who juggles knives or balls, and musicians, who played the harp.

Anglo-Saxon Riddle Ic on wincle gefrægn weaxan nathwæt þindan ond þunian þecene hebban on þæt banlease bryd grapode hygewlonc hondum hrægle theahte þrindende þing þeodnes dohtor Translation I have learned that something grows in the corner, swells and expands, has a covering; on that boneless thing a woman grasps around with hands, with a garment the lord's daughter covered the swollen thing.

Clothing ► Men wore tunics or robes and shoes. ► Women wore dresses or long robes and shoes. ► Coloured material was more expensive, so most clothes were not coloured.

Women and Slavery ► Women were not considered to be equal to men. ► They were expected to do everything that their husbands wanted them to. ► Rich women wore lots of jewellery. ► Slaves were buried with their masters or mistresses. A tomb of an Anglo-Saxon woman was found with her brutally killed slave’s body on top of her coffin, to serve her in the afterlife. ► You could become a slave by being a prisoner of war, not having enough money to pay a fine, being sold into slavery by your family, or being born a slave. ► To no longer be a slave you had to be given freedom by your owner or pay of a debt if it was the reason you had become a slave.

Photos of Anglo-Saxon Jewelry

Religion ► Were Pagans at first. - Three of their gods and one of their goddesses became the days of the week… Tiw (Tuesday), Woden (Wednesday), Thor (Thursday), and Frig (Friday). - Could tell by things such as place names… for example, Wednesbury and Wednesfield were after the god Woden. - The survival of place-names can give us two kinds of information; they identify the gods that were worshipped, and they indicate former shrines or holy-places. ► Became Christians around Pope Gregory was “appalled at the idea of going to a barbarous, fierce, and pagan nation…”. - He didn’t want the shrines to be destroyed, but changed to Christian places of worship. ► The change from Paganism to Christianity was relatively quick. - Took 84 years for the change.

Discovery of Burial qWI_7zE qWI_7zE Only the religious were buried.

Battles and War ► Becoming king wasn’t hereditary, it depended on the ability to conquer and win battles so the best people in battle became king. ► The typical weapon was a spear made of ash wood and iron. ► Only nobility used swords, which were about 2½ feet long. ► Shields were made of wood covered with leather and some iron. ► Vikings had chain mail, swords, and helmets that made them more prepared for battle.

Photos of Battle Equipment I

Photos of Battle Equipment II

The Fall of the Anglo-Saxon Empire ► The Vikings came to England around the end of the eighth century, where they were able to completely occupy a part of East England by 870. ► The Vikings, who had a stronger military, were able to raid Britain. Once there they burned churches, stole animals and precious things, and massacred people. ► In 1066, the Duke of Normandy beat the Earl of Wessex in the Battle of Hastings. This marked the end of the Anglo-Saxon period and the start of the Norman period in England.

Sources ► Life in Anglo-Saxon England by R.I Page ► om/pagangods.html om/pagangods.html om/pagangods.html ► _ages_index.htm _ages_index.htm _ages_index.htm ► sax.htm sax.htm sax.htm ►

The End.