Britain and Ireland, c.500

Occupational patterns in Anglo‐Saxon and Medieval East Midlands, England: Insights from activity‐related skeletal changes

“…During most of the Early Anglo-Saxon period (450-650 CE), settlements mainly consisted of agglomerations of rural self-sufficient farms (Clarke, 2009), inhabited by close kin-based groups living under the same roof, practicing agriculture, animal husbandry and crafts mostly at domestic scale (Clarke, 2009;Holmes, 2014;Vince, 1994). Gradually settlements developed, leading in the seventh century to the establishment of kingdoms that varied in size and influence, while by the ninth century the kingdoms of Northumbria, Mercia, Wessex, and East Anglia began to dominate (Stafford, 1985;Yorke, 2009). Society was characterized by three major strata: nobles, freemen, and slaves, under the rule of the king (Härke, 1997;Thornton, 2009).…”

“…Society was characterized by three major strata: nobles, freemen, and slaves, under the rule of the king (Härke, 1997;Thornton, 2009). The initially mostly agrarian society transformed to one with central towns with civil works, trade, monetary economy, taxation, and an increased variety of activities and crafts (Reynolds, 1999;Ulmschneider, 2000;Yorke, 2009). Environmentally, the Anglo-Saxon period saw a rise in temperature (Lamb et al, 1995); it is thought that woodland recovered in part from the deforestation caused during the Roman period, which agrees with the strong cultural bond between Anglo-Saxon people and trees/forests evidenced in mythology, literature, and place-names (Hooke, 2010).…”