A Chronological History of Britain
Learn about the rise of England, Scotland, and Wales in episodes of the British History Podcast that cover the so-called Dark Ages.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Ok, when we last left off, we were talking about a new class of elites in sub-roman britain. A group of individuals we identify as anglo saxons and kings, and we also mentioned the class of nobles that was growing up around them. We also talked about how that change, the increase in social stratification, might have come about.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Today we start with a death.
Wihtgar, brother of beloved Stuff, warrior, conqueror of Cerdic’s-Ore, and ruler of the Isle of Wight died in 544.
Or did he?
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Alright, so when we left off, Cerdic and his son had recently arrived on the island and the Battle of Mons Badonicus had just taken place. So that’s exciting. And Gildas says that it was followed by peace, and procopius tells us that Germans were fleeing from Britannia as late as about 30 years later. And from the archaeological record, and the scattered references in written texts, it doesn’t seem like there were a lot of military warbands invading… but rather, as we will discuss in this episode, this looks more like farmers who were migrating. And this might have been happening for quite some time, since we’re told the Saxons had been landing on British shores for at least 100 years.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Right, so here we are right in the middle of all the drama and bloodshed that has been called the Anglo Saxon invasion. We have famous names such as Hengest and Aelle showing up.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Ok, it’s been a while since we’ve spoken about the story. Instead, we’ve been chatting about the culture and the people, we’ve been speaking about digs and hoards, we’ve been discussed booze and horse dung. But we haven’t spoken too much about the politics of the time.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Today we’re wrapping up the Staffordshire Hoard project. We have been given an amazing amount of depth and detail thanks to the wonderful experts who took the time to talk with us. And today, we’re going to hear from Dr. Kevin Leahy. You might have read his scholarly articles or his books, some of which are about the Hoard itself. Dr. Leahy is an incredible resource and is an excellent way for us to wrap up this project.
The Staffordshire Hoard: www.staffordshirehoard.org.uk
The Potteries Museum: www.stokemuseums.org.uk/pmag
The Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery: www.bmag.org.uk
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Today we’re going to learn more about the context and the craftsmanship of the Hoard. I think this will help shed some light on what makes this find so special, and also help you understand the sort of research that’s going into it and the number of mysteries it is revealing!
The Staffordshire Hoard: www.staffordshirehoard.org.uk
The Potteries Museum: www.stokemuseums.org.uk/pmag
The Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery: www.bmag.org.uk
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Today we have more from Cathy Shingler! Now that we’ve heard about the discovery of the Hoard and how it has been excavated and preserved, we’re going to talk a bit about how it is being interpreted. And Cathy has quite a lot of fascinating theories to share with us regarding the objects that have been found!
The Staffordshire Hoard: www.staffordshirehoard.org.uk
The Potteries Museum: www.stokemuseums.org.uk/pmag
The Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery: www.bmag.org.uk
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Today we’re chatting with Deborah Cane about how the Hoard is being preserved for future generations. Some of this stuff is cutting edge work. I hope you’re as fascinated by it as I was.
The Staffordshire Hoard: www.staffordshirehoard.org.uk
The Potteries Museum: www.stokemuseums.org.uk/pmag
The Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery: www.bmag.org.uk
Over on the Members Feed there’s an interview with Deb regarding a small Brooch that was found. Here are the accompanying photographs for you to look at while you listen to the episode! Just click on the photographs to get a larger version!
