Anglo-Saxon Literature

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Anglo-Saxon Literature Also known as Old English literature, shortened to OE Period, 500 to 1066 CE Roman invasion of Britain 54 BC under Julius Caesar Celts: pre-Roman invasion inhabitants of Britain, currently traces in Irish, Highland Scots, Welsh, Cornish Romanised Britain a. Towns and roads b. Sanitation, markets, culture c. Part of a large trade network d. Protected by Roman troops Emperor Honorius, 393-423 End of Roman rule in Britain “Rescript of Honorius”, in 411 British are told to defend themselves By 411, Roman legions were withdrawing from Britain Increasing invasions by Celtic tribes into Roman Britain “Romanised British”, those influenced by Romano- British culture No military training Easily run over by the Celtic tribes The Dark Age begins Invasions of Roman Britain Anglo-Saxon invasions, c 449 Some names and places Hengest and Horsa, mercenaries invited by Celtic King Vortigern The Angles, from Denmark, settled the north and east, Northumbria and East Anglia The Saxons, from Germany, settled Sussex, Essex, and Kent The Jutes The Frisians The Franks The Heptarchy, the Seven Kingdoms Northumbria Mercia Kent Essex (East Saxons) Wessex (West Saxons) Sussex (South Saxons) East Anglia The Heptarchy, a map Anglo-Saxon life The meadhall and the village Anglo-Saxon weapons and armour Books in the Anglo-Saxon Age Literacy was very low Limited to some of the nobility, and the clergy Emphasis on Latin Very few knew Latin, depended more on rote learning, and the use of the vernacular Books were very RARE Every book had to be created through a long process, and each book was a work of art Everyone, from the tanner to the master-scribe, contributed to the making of a book Books Many monasteries and abbeys had scriptoria (singular: scriptorium) Animal skin, mainly vellum was treated, sometimes parchment, made from reeds Folio manner of writing and binding Junior scribes to draw lines Senior scribes to write Illustrators Books were copied to make more copies Each “copy” was a NEW BOOK A Scriptorium A page from a book The scop Mainly an oral culture Long winter evenings spent around a fire Leisure included drinking, fighting, listening to scops Scops were not only singers and poets, but also repositories or store-houses of cultural information This included historical information The scop used a mnemonic system to store huge amounts of information in the brain Typical word: Whaet! Used a stringed instrument as accompaniment A scop and a meadhall A meadhall, from the outside.

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