Life in early medieval Wales /
"The period c. ad 300-1050, spanning the collapse of Roman rule to the coming of the Normans, was formative in the development of Wales. This book considers how people lived in late Roman and early medieval Wales and how their lives and communities changed during this period. It uses a multidis...
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| Format: | eBook |
| Language: | English |
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Oxford :
Oxford University Press,
[2023]
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| Series: | Medieval history and archaeology.
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | Connect to the full text of this electronic book |
| Summary: | "The period c. ad 300-1050, spanning the collapse of Roman rule to the coming of the Normans, was formative in the development of Wales. This book considers how people lived in late Roman and early medieval Wales and how their lives and communities changed during this period. It uses a multidisciplinary approach, focusing on the growing body of archaeological evidence set alongside the early medieval written sources. It begins by analysing earlier research and the range of sources, the significance of the environment and climate change, and ways of calculating time. Discussion of the fourth-sixth centuries focuses on the disintegration of the Roman market economy, fragmentation of power, and the emergence of new kingdoms and elites. Early medieval Wales was an entirely rural society. Analysis of the settlement archaeology includes key sites, alongside the development of new farming and other rural settlements. Consideration is given to changes in the mixed farming economy reflecting climate deterioration and a need for food security, as well as craftworking and the roles of exchange, display, and trade. At the same time cemeteries and inscribed stones, stone sculpture and early church sites chart the course of conversion to Christianity, the rise of monasticism, and the increasing power of the Church. Finally, discussion of power and authority analyses emerging evidence for sites of assembly, the rise of Mercia together with the significance of Offa's and Wat's Dykes, increasing English infiltration, and the Viking impact. Throughout the evidence is placed within a wider context"--Publisher's description. |
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| Physical Description: | 1 online resource (v, 493 pages) : illustrations |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| ISBN: | 9780192888389 0192888382 9780191797774 0191797774 0191047899 9780191047893 |