Date

Title

Discussion questions

Readings

Book report

Aug. 29

Introduction

 

 

 

Aug. 31

King Arthur

 

 

 

Sept. 5

Romans, Irish, and Picts

How are the Romans portrayed by Gildas and Bede?  What about the Picts and Scots?  What is the relationship of all these people to each other?  What biases do Gildas and Bede have when writing about them?

Blair pp. 1-6

Gildas, De Excidio Britanniae, chs. 3-22: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/gildas-full.html

Bede, Ecclesiastical History, Book I.1-14

 

Sept. 7

The Anglo-Saxon 'invasion'?

Read Gildas and Bede first, if possible.  How would you write the history of the Anglo-Saxon arrival based on these two texts?  How does your version compare with Blair's?

Blair pp. 6-54

Gildas, De Excidio Britanniae, chs. 23-26: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/gildas-full.html

Bede, Ecclesiastical History, Book I. 15-22

 

Sept. 12

The Anglo-Saxon settlement

Everyone read the article by Hills; then also read the article that you have been assigned.  On which side of the argument about Anglo-Saxon settlement, outlined by Hills, does your author fall?  On what evidence does he/she base his/her argument?

 

You will have to go to the library to read your individual article; please do not check out the book without discussing it with the other person who is also reading your article.

Everyone  read:

Hills, Catherine.  "Roman Britain to Anglo-Saxon England," History Today 40 (1990): 46-52.  [note:  use your IU username and password]

Read article you are assigned:

Dumville, David N. "Sub-Roman Britain: History and Legend", History 62 (1977):  173-92.  Wells D1 .H6:  Bare, Cook

Yorke, Barbara, "Fact or Fiction?  The Written Evidence for the fifth and sixth centuries," Anglo-Saxon Studies in Archaeology and History 6 (1993): 45-50.  Wells DA155. A65:  Moore, Popplewell

Kleinschmidt, H.  "Beyond Conventionality. Recent Work on the Germanic Migration to the British Isles", Studi Medievali, 3rd ser. 36 (1995):  975-1010.  Wells PN661 .S93:  Short, Smith

Wood, Ian. "Before and After the Migration to Britain", in The Anglo-Saxons from the Migration period to the Eighth Century: an Ethnographic Perspective, ed. J. Hines (1997), pp. 41-54.  Wells DA152 .A729 1997: Reynolds, Sabelhaus

Hines, J. "The Becoming of the English: Identity, Material Culture and Language in Early Anglo-Saxon England", Anglo-Saxon Studies in Archaeology and History 7 (1994), pp. 49-59. Wells DA155. A65:  Springer, Storrs

Hooke, Della.  The landscape of Anglo-Saxon England

Sept. 14

Old English and its literature

Everything you read in this class is read in modern English translation.  You have already read some Bede, which was written in Latin (as was Gildas); the texts for this week were written in Old English.  What sort of a society do they represent?  Do you feel that they give you a better picture of society than Gildas and Bede?

Blair pp. 301-311, 329-349

Review Beowulf if you have already read it

In The Anglo-Saxon World, read the following:  The Wanderer,  The Wife's Lament, The Ruin, The Dream of the Rood, and "Thirty-One Riddles".  Note that each section in this book has an introduction; you will probably get more out of the texts if you read the introductions.  Note also that solutions to the riddles are found at the end!

Hill, John M.  The Anglo-Saxon warrior ethic:  reconstructing lordship in Early English literature.

Sept. 19

Early Anglo-Saxon life:  West Stow

How much do we really know about Anglo-Saxon daily life?  Are you convinced by the conclusions  of archaeology?

Blair pp. 245-276

Hamerow, Helena.  "The archaeology of early Anglo-Saxon settlements: past, present and future."  In Landscapes of Change: Rural Evolutions in Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages, ed. Neil Christie, pp. 301-316. Aldershot: Ashgate, 2004.  Wells GF90 .L383 2004

Pollington, Stephen.  The mead hall:  the feasting tradition in Anglo-Saxon England.

Sept. 21

The Conversion to Christianity

According to Bede, what are the reasons that the Anglo-Saxons converted or did not convert to Christianity?  How do the articles you read (including Blair) argue or attempt to debunk this view?

Blair pp. 116-141

Bede, Ecclesiastical History, I. 23-34, II. 2-16

Wood, Ian N.  "The Mission of St. Augustine to the English," Speculum 69 (1994): 1-17.  Oncourse

 

Sept. 26

Sutton Hoo

Martin Carver offers a rather passionate reading of the burials at Sutton Hoo in both of his pieces.   Given what was found there, especially in Mound 1, do you agree with his assessment of religion, politics, economics, etc. in his interpretation of the graves?

Read information on the British Museum website regarding Sutton Hoo, and look at the items found in Mound 1 (when you are at the Compass website, search for "Sutton Hoo")

Read in The Anglo-Saxon World  the following part of Beowulf:  pp. 150-154.

Carver, M. O. H. C.  Sutton hoo:  Burial Ground of Kings?, University of Pennsylvania Press, 1998, pp. 107-136.  Oncourse

Carver, Martin.  "Burial as poetry: the context of treasure in Anglo-Saxon graves."  In Treasure in the Medieval West, ed. Elizabeth M. Tyler, pp. 25-48.  York: York Medieval Press, 2000.  Oncourse; read esp. pp. 31 forward

Lucy, Sam.  The Anglo-Saxon way of death:  burial rites in early England.

Sept. 28

Kingship and society

Based on what you read in the texts and what we have talked about for archaeology, how might you expect to see some of these specific class distinctions expressed in burial?

Blair pp. 194-222, 257-76

Read the Laws of Aethelberht, King of Kent.  Note that there is a glossary at the bottom of this webpage.

Campbell, J.  "Early Anglo-Saxon Society According to the Written Sources."  In Essays in Anglo-Saxon History (London:  Hambledon, 1986), pp. 131-8.  Oncourse

Arnold, C. J.  An archaeology of the early Anglo-Saxon kingdoms.

Oct. 3

The Northumbrian Renaissance: meet at the Lilly Library

How do the Lindisfarne Gospels and the Ruthwell Cross represent a fusion of learning and art?  How do you feel this link would be perceived by the average person?

Blair pp. 142-162, 311-329

Look at the Lindisfarne Gospels ("Pinnacle of Anglo-Saxon Art"; play the audio as you look at each page) online

Look at the Franks Casket online (go to British Museum Compass, and search "Franks Casket")

Read about the Ruthwell Cross online

 

Oct. 5

Bede

Bede was Anglo-Saxon England's greatest scholar.  Justify this statement, based on these readings (and the earlier readings you have done by Bede).

[Blair pp. 311-329]

Bede, Ecclesiastical History, V. 22-24; in the same book, "Cuthbert's Letter on the Death of Bede" and "Bede's Letter to Egbert".

In The Age of Bede, read "Bede:  Lives of the Abbots of Wearmouth and Jarrow"

On Oncourse, read some selections from Bede, The Reckoning of Time(I apologize that some of the pages in the file are upside-down; let me know if you have trouble rotating the file)

Bonner, Gerald.  "Bede: scholar and spiritual teacher."  In Northumbria's Golden Age, ed. Jane Hawkes and Susan Mills, pp. 365-370.  Stroud: Alan Sutton, 1999.  Oncourse

 

Oct. 10

Library research presentation

Meet in the Main Library, location TBA

 

 

Oct. 12

Offa and Mercia

Was Offa one of Anglo-Saxon England's greatest kings?  Why do you think Blair covers him in the way that he does?

Look for Offa in Blair.

Keynes, Simon.  "Changing Faces of Offa, King of Mercia," History Today 40 (1980): 14-19.  Oncourse

 

Oct. 17

The Anglo-Saxons and the continent

Where do Wilfrid, Boniface, and Willibald go?  With whom do they come in contact?  What is the impact of their travels back home in England?

Blair pp. 162-166

In The Age of Bede, read Eddius Stephanus, "Life of Wilfrid"

Boniface, Letters, selection, on Oncourse

Huneberc, The Hodoeporican of St. Willibald

Story, Joanna.  Carolingian connections:  Anglo-Saxon England and Carolingian Francia, c. 750-870.

Oct. 19

The Vikings

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle was begun at the time of King Alfred in the late ninth century; how does it depict the Viking raids?  Is this different from Alcuin's take on an early raid?  From what sources does Keynes fill in the picture provided by the ASC?

Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, read for the years 776-870 (note:  when you get to 799, you will have to click on the link for the "Ninth Century")

Anglo-Saxon World, read "Letter from Alcuin to Ethelred, King of Northumbria", pp. 185-188.

Keynes, Simon.  "The Vikings in England," in The Oxford Illustrated History of the Vikings, ed. P. H. Sawyer (1997), pp. 48-82.  Oncourse

 

Oct. 24

Alfred

For what is Alfred famous?  How do you see this differently in his biography and in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle?   

Blair pp. 75-99, 350-355

Alfred the Great:  Read Asser's Life of Alfred, preface to the translation of Gregory's Pastoral Care (pp. 124-127), and Extracts from the laws of King Alfred (pp. 163-170).

Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, read for the years 871-901

Fletcher, Richard A.  Bloodfeud:  murder and revenge in Anglo-Saxon England.

Oct. 31

Religious reform

The religious reform was primarily monastic; how did this reform involve people who were not monks, and how did monks interact with people outside the monastery?

Blair pp. 173-193, 356-363

Anglo-Saxon World, read the "Colloquy" by Aelfric, pp. 220-227.

Regularis Concordia, selections Oncourse

Lees, Clare A. and Gillian R. Overing.   Double agents:  women and clerical culture in Anglo-Saxon England.

Jolly, Karen Louise.  Popular religion in late Saxon England:  elf charms in context.

Nov. 2

Alfred's successors

From the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, do you get a sense that Alfred's successors brought peace and unity to England?

Blair pp. 80-99

Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, read for the years 902-978.

 

 

Nov. 7

The Danes

Was Aethelred II to blame for England's situation?

Blair pp. 90-104

Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, read for the years 978-1035.

Anglo-Saxon World:  read "The Battle of Maldon" and "The Battle of Brunanburh", pp. 11-21

Abels, Richard.  "From Alfred to Harold II: the military failure of the late Anglo-Saxon state."  In The Normans and their Adversaries at War: Essays in Memory of C. Warren Hollister, ed. Richard P. Abels and Bernard S. Bachrach, pp. 15-30.  Woodbridge, Suffolk: Boydell & Brewer, 2001.  Oncourse

Karkov, Catherine E.   The ruler portraits of Anglo-Saxon England.

Nov. 14

Edward the Confessor

Finally, a woman involved in politics!  Draw a family tree of Emma, her husbands and all their sons.

Blair pp. 104-115

Sheridan, Maia.  "Mothers and sons: Emma of Normandy's role in the English succession crisis, 1035-42."  In Victims or Viragos?, ed. Christine Meek and Catherine Lawless (Studies on Medieval and Early Modern Women, 4), pp. 39-48.  Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2005.  Oncourse

 

Nov. 16

1066

William of Normandy was the best candidate for king of England in 1066:  yes or no?

Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, read for the years 1057-1067.

Have a look at the Bayeux Tapestry


 

Nov. 21

Aftermath

How do the authors of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle distinguish between the old and the new regime?  or do they?

Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, read for the years 1067-1099.

 

 

Nov. 23

NO CLASS - Thanksgiving

 

 

 

Nov. 28

Presentations

 

 

 

Nov. 30

Presentations

 

 

 

Dec. 5

Presentations

 

 

 

Dec. 7

Presentations