Product Description

There are very few books available on the daily life of ordinary men, women and children of Anglo-Saxon England. This new title fills the gap, covering domestic and family life, work and leisure, education, clothing and housing, food, religion, magic and superstition, health and sickness, warfare, crime and punishment, ethnic and national identity, the creation of kingship, slavery and urban life from the end of Roman Britain in the 5th century AD to the Norman Conquest and beyond, based on the most recent documentary and archaeological evidence, and wonderfully accessible in style.Archaeological evidence gives a dramatic picture of social organization in Anglo-Saxon towns, and sources such as wills provide insight into the way families were structured and organized. Evidence in the law codes and literature shows how Anglo-Saxons experienced childhood, youth, marriage, adulthood, parenthood and old age; how they were educated and engaged in trades, and what they did in their leisure time. Archaeological and documentary evidence, including pictorial representations in sculpture and manuscripts, give a vivid picture of Anglo-Saxon food and dress, and also of the military and governmental forces of Anglo-Saxon England. Religion was an important part of daily life, and so was crime, justice, punishment and slavery. Indeed, the struggle to survive meant that health and sickness were crucial everyday concerns. All these aspects of daily life are examined in Sally Crawford's book, creating a rich picture of ordinary, but complex, life in Anglo-Saxon England.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #323676 in Books
• Published on: 2008-11-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 224 pages

About the Author
Dr Sally Crawford is Lecturer at the Institute of Archaeology at Oxford University.

Customer Reviews

A tough read
An expensive book, I guess because it doesn't sell in Harry Potter-esque volumes.

It's a very earnest and academic work but I found it quite dry and hard to get along with. I'm sure a lot of students will buy this in which case it is pitched perfectly with more research references than you can shake a stick at. For me, someone who has a general interest in the period, I would have preferred something with more hyperbole, well maybe not hyperbole, but a bit more opinion/interpretation to make it more engaging. It was quite dry.

Still, it does what it says on the tin and tells you everything that is known about daily life in Anglo-Saxon England. If that's what you're looking for then this is the book for you.