Anglo-Saxon Period 449-1066

England/Great Britain/United Kingdom

• Island that includes Scotland and Wales

•Known today as the United Kingdom of Great Britain

•Invading peoples included the Iberians, Celts, Romans, Angles, Saxons. Jutes, Vikings, and Normans

• from around 449-1066

The migrations of the invading peoples into England during the Anglo-Saxon period

The Celts

• 4th century- Celtic people called Britons invaded England• Tall, blonde warriors; women had equal rights as men• Religion based on animism (spirits live in trees, rivers, rocks,

etc)• Druid priests acted as intermediaries between the people and

gods• Believed in the “Great Mother Goddess” who associated with

nature

Stonehenge

• Celtic priests (druids) were said to have built Stonehenge (a bunch of heavy stones placed in a circle)

• Ceremonies celebrating the rites of the sun, moon, and astronomical events took place here

• A mystery on how this monument was created• Stonehenge is one of the “Wonders of the

Modern World”

• Druid translates as “knowing the oak tree” because these priests performed religious ceremonies in oak groves

• The oak tree and the mistletoe were sacred to the Celtic priests

• The custom of kissing under the mistletoe comes from the Celtic tradtition

• Druid priests were also responsible for educating the young

Celtic Mythology & Legend

• Celtic mythology influenced the literature of England• These myths and legends are full of male and female

heroes unlike the male dominated Anglo-Saxon literature schools normally teach.

• The legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table come from the Celtic myths

The Romans

• Julius Caesar defeated the Celts (Britons) in 55 BC• The Romans occupied this area for 4 centuries• They built:

~roads that connected cities~a defensive wall (Hadrian’s Wall)~public baths

• They promoted literacy and education• Their most important contribution was Christianity

Public Baths & Hadrian’s Wall

Angles, Saxons, and Jutes

• Invaders from Germany (Angles and Saxons) and Denmark (Jutes) came in the 5th century

• The name “England” comes from the Angle words Engla Land

• The tribes and cities were not unified and they fought each other frequently

• King Alfred the Great unified the tribes, established Christianity as the dominant religion, and ordered the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle written to record their history