British Artefacts Volume 2 - Middle Saxon & Viking
by Brett Hammond

Reviews

Dr. Kevin Leahy
National Advisor,
The Portable Antiquities Scheme
Early Medieval Metalwork

"This book is an excellent piece of work, readable with fine illustrations making available a great deal of material. The author is to be congratulated."


Stephen Pollington
Author and Early Anglo-Saxon specialist

"This second volume covers the Middle Saxon material, including the impact that the Vikings had on Anglo-Saxon life during the period of the Great Army, the resistance of King Alfred, the Danelaw and its reconquest by Edward the Elder, the Kingdom of York and the formation of England under King Athelstan. This is of course a rich period with influences coming into the country from Ireland, Carolingian France and Scandinavia. In this period Anglo-Saxon chiefdoms became kingdoms, fought each other, fought the Vikings and eventually became a single state under the West Saxon dynasty.

The book contains an outline of the history of the period and summaries of the kings-and-dates of the major kingdoms. Maps show the areas of the kingdoms, the Danelaw and some of the neighbouring states help to explain the changing politics of the period.

The major benefit of these books is the high-quality images of artefacts, some taken from two or more angles, which help the reader to visualise the details of the design and the fineness of the craftsmanship. In these pages, Brett Hammond has gathered some fine examples of Anglo-Saxon, Hiberno-Saxon, Hiberno-Norse and Viking workmanship. The book is laid out logically with preliminary discussions of the history, and of manufacturing and distribution as well advice for collectors and finders; there follows a brief outline of the scripts, Roman and runic, Anglo-Saxon and Scandinavian. The art styles are discussed in some detail, then follow the metal artefacts by type, followed by the non-metallic material such as glass, amber, bone and horn. The burial traditions – inhumation and cremation, Viking and Anglo-Saxon – are handled succinctly in a few pages with typical grave plans. Scandinavian settlement is dealt with as well as the Middle Saxon and Viking kingdoms. Finally the summary data for the images are tabulated, followed by a glossary, bibliography and index.

The book covers the subject well in so few pages, offers a great breadth of material and manages to spring a few surprises – it includes a unique gold finger ring bearing the name Cynefrid, a gilded Irish mount and some spectacular swords. "

Minerva
The International Review of Ancient Art & Archaeology

Minerva





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