Anyone interested in Anglo-Saxons?

[JoyintheMorning]

I am retired and am interested in reading about what happened when the Romans left England and the early kingdoms.
It occurred to me that someone here might know more than I do. Or someone might be interested in studying
I like to chat.

I'm interested, it's a fascinating period of history. I recently bought The Anglo Saxons by Marc Morris but haven't got round to reading it yet. Have you considered reading Bede? And/or the biography of Alfred the Great by Asser?

I love history . There are a lot of discussions and lectures on BBC Sounds. Check out In Our Time with Melyvn Bragg .

@Dolamroth Yes I know those but I am 300-400 years earlier than Alfred. Penda the last Pagan King 620. Later Offa.
I live in the Midlands so looking at Mercia.

I live in the Midlands so looking at Mercia.

Annie Whitehead is a historian and novelist who has focused on Mercia.

The University of Cambridge’s Institute for Continuing Education has history and archaeology courses on this period, including one of the fall of the Roman Empire, which I have done. It really went into the transition to the early Middle Ages and about half the attendees were primarily interested in that rather than Rome.

Another vote for In Our Time too!

Thank you all. It has been so nice getting these reactions, I did briefly look at the Annie Whitehead vids and will go back to them in detail.
My main book is 'Penda' by Paul Barrett, he is very thorough, I bought it on Kindle. Another writer is Max Adams.

Just place marking by mentioning that I'm thinking of asking for a sceat for Christmas.

It's a fascinating period of history, and learning more about it has really helped me contextualise the subsequent early-Mediaeval era and even our ongoing relationships with Europe.

I've read The Anglo Saxons by Marc Morris that a PP mentioned - it is a very comprehensive and suprisingly readable introduction to the period. I'm now reading The Private Lives of the Saints by Janina Ramirez, which gives a more personal insight into lives of people from that era.

For something a bit easier - David Crowther's A History of England podcast is absolutely amazing, and starts off with the Anglo Saxons - the first 30 episodes are all Anglo Saxon.

And then there's the Last Kingdom - I've not read the books, but the Netflix series is fab. Obviously it's not historically accurate, but it has really helped bring that period alive for me.

Watched the Annie Whitehead on YouTube, A good overview and some useful details on sources.
Thanks for the Heads-up.

placemarking.

I love In Our Time and I’m gutted Melvyn is retiring - I hope whoever they get has the personality to carry the programme.

Do have a look in your local library too - they should have some good general books, plus hopefully some local history too. This may be obvious, but looks in the archaeology section as well as the history section!

Thanks @Starwarsepisode3 and @TrousersOfTime In our Time is impossible to search. I found one on Danelaw but nothing earlier so far.
I am lucky I have a University near me so I have a Readers Ticket. Some they have are so densely packed with facts they are hard work.
Because I am not doing a course it gets lonely with no one to talk to. This is why I started this chat. thread.

Guy Halsall - Worlds of Arthur - Facts and Fictions of the Dark Ages.

The title is a little misleading as it is really his attempt to make sense of the sources and archaeology to work out what the Anglo-Saxons were up to before and then after the Romans quit Britain. Proper academic, not someone on a fantasy trip. I think he rates Gildas as the most useful written source. Be aware that there's a lot of poor amateur writing in this field.

As an alternative delve into Peter Heather, who Halsall has issues with. Heather loops back to a recasting of older ideas and sees the barbarian peoples as being more cohesive. Heather takes more of a Europe-wide view so you need to find the A-S bits in his work. The big 2005 and 2009 books are where to look I think, but I would start with Halsall.

Then if you want to go up a level you need to check out Walter Goffart who died earlier this year.

The A-S don't seem to have behaved as similarly as most other migrating groups of the era did. The field is a contested one with opposed 'schools' and of course not far away are all sorts of race theories.

Without giving too much away, Halsall not only says that 'they were already here' when the Romans quit as they had been invited for defence etc. (which is an orthodox view, and that there's then significant top up migration), but thinks WHERE they were in England is not quite what many assume.

Have you had a look at Michael Wood’s In Search of the Dark Ages? On the BBC in the late 70s/ early 80s. It’s old, but he is rather fabulous.

(And he still is - I saw him at a history event last year.)

@MMBaranova Thanks for your post. I will answer it after very careful reading tomorrow. I had seen the Halsall book mentioned and thought of Glastonbury and low grade crystals. But will go back to it. The other writers I had not heard of.
Barrett in the first chapter of Penda mentions origins eg The Scotti as if they were pushing the late Romans.

The Halsall lead title looks like it was a publisher's choice. Of course Arthur is part of the discussion as it is a strong part of the 'tale' as generally understood and he is to an extent taking on the vacuous fabrications and interpretations.

The book runs to over 300 pages of the chapters (see image) with enough further reading, bibliography and index to take it to nearly 360. The paragraph of recommendation on the back is by Michael Wood.

CityLit does too, and even had a short course in Old English.

There are also episodes on Alfred, Aethelstan, Carolingian Renaissance, Stamford Bridge, Alcuin (fascinating man), St Cuthbert, St Hilda, the Lindisfarne gospels, Beowulf and Icelandic sagas. If you look at it on another platform (I listen on Castbox) it's searchable.

The Rest is History also has a lot about the period (including the earlier period you are interested in) but the full back catalogue isn't on BBC Sounds so check it on other platforms.

Oh also check out Michael Wood for a series he did yonks ago. I think they're called In Search of... they are on YouTube. He definitely has episodes on Arthur, Erik Bloodaxe and Offa.

@Dolamroth Thanks for the note about Castbox, I will check it out.
I tend to slide past Michael Wood. It is getting old now. 40 years ago was it? The village one he did in I think Leicestershire was unique.
I am following Patrick Wormald now and others Della Hooke

Here to wave and say hi! I did history at university but stupidly missed the Anglo Saxon course in preference for the crusades. I feel like I’ve been playing catch up ever since…

@MMBaranova I am reading about Halsall and Heather. They get a bit heated do they not!
In the Library I have the Arthurian Halsall now (a brand new book) and Della Hooke on A-S Settlements.

Hi @amilliondreamsofsleep and waves back.
Do join in.

YOu might find this interesting - a single lecture from a much wider course - all 20+ lectures are available free as html or mp3 on the Yale website https://oyc.yale.edu/history/hist-210/lecture-12

Oxford do a continuing education course but that is £415