This is a comprehensive study of the archaeology of early medieval Essex, giving new insights into the dynamics of coastal societies in contemporary north-western Europe.

Auteur

University of Cambridge (2014-15); PhD, University of Nottingham, 2013.

Contenu

ContentsChapter 1: Introduction General introductionTopographical background of the Essex region The research context Group identity Trade, exchange and networks Social complexity Previous literature on Anglo-Saxon Essex / Previous work in the region Sources of evidence Dress accessories Pottery CoinageThe quality of the evidence and limits of inference from excavated and unstratified data How this book is structured Major themes and findings Chapter 2: c.AD 400-650 Introduction Dress accessories, c.AD 400-c.650 Dress and identity in the 5th century Dress and identity in the early 5th century Late Roman military belt fittings 5th-century Continental imported brooches Dress accessories with Quoit-Brooch Style decoration Roman fashion Patterns of dress and fashion, c.AD 450-600 Beads Metal dress accessories AD c.450-c.600 'Saxon' dress among the 'East Saxons' 'Anglian' dress Other influences on regional fashion Francia Kent Changes in costume, c.AD 600-650 Kentish affiliation and the 'Final Phase', c.600-650 Conclusions A new picture of early medieval dress use in Essex Coinage use in 5th- and 6th-century Anglo-Saxon Essex The earliest evidence of coinage use Byzantine coins Reuse of Roman coins Coinage in Essex, c.AD 500-c.675 Tremisses and solidi Shillings Conclusions Pottery use in 5th- and 6th-century Essex Handmade local potteryFabric, chronology and distributionForm Origins Imported French pottery Summary Discussion Dress and identity in Essex c.400-600 Results from the study of early dress in EssexThe wider context of the construction of 'Anglo-Saxon' costume in the formation of Anglo-Saxon society in Essex A middle-way interpretationEarly exchange systems evidenced by the use of material culture c. AD 400-600 5th-mid-7th-century coastal exchange Early exchange and the expression of elite status Summary Chapter 3: c.AD 650-c.800 Introduction Coinage c.AD 650-c. 800Introduction Silver deniers English pale gold coinage Coinage in Essex, c.AD 675-c.760Primary and intermediate phase sceattas (c.675-c.710) Secondary phase sceattas (c.710-c.760) Coinage from EssexSeries BSeries S Coinage from KentSeries A Series C Kentish secondary phase sceattas Coinage from London East Anglian coinage Mercian coinage Northumbrian coinage West Saxon coinage Continental sceattasFrisianDanish?French (Quentovic) Coinage in Essex, c.760-c.850Northumbrian stycas English broad flan pennies Mercian coinageOffa Conclusions Pottery The local pottery background Imported potteryIpswich ware Rhenish wares French wares Conclusions Dress accessories c.AD 650-c.800 Dress and the reflection of maritime identities Conclusions General discussionThe end of regional styles and its implicationsAn alternative explanationContemporary landing places and sites of exchange in Essex Tilbury Barking North-west Essex Lashley Wood / Green Canvey Island / Benfleet Creek ?Goldhanger Creek Great Bromley Bradwell Fingringhoe Little Oakley, Great Oakley, and the Harwich area Summary and conclusions The expansion of the coastal network in the 7th and 8th centuries The evidence and conclusions from the present study Exchange hubs and the relationship between town and country ConclusionsChapter 4: c.AD 800-1066 Introduction Dress in Essex c.AD 800-1066 Disc brooches (9th-11th-centuries) Strap-ends and the adoption of new art styles (9th-11th-centuries) Lobed disc brooches (11th-century) Scandinavian cultural affiliationsThe first phase of Scandinavian rule (c.AD 877-917)The second phase of Scandinavian rule (c.1016-42) Summary Coinage c.800-1066Coinage c.AD 800-50 Mercian coinage after Offa, 796-c.850West Saxon coinage, c.800-50 Coinage in Essex, c.850-973West Saxon and Danelaw coinage, c.8