Premium
Archaeology, common rights and the origins of Anglo‐Saxon identity
Author(s) -
OOSTHUIZEN SUSAN
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
early medieval europe
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.1
H-Index - 24
eISSN - 1468-0254
pISSN - 0963-9462
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-0254.2011.00316.x
Subject(s) - identity (music) , anglo saxon , context (archaeology) , kingdom , legitimacy , formative assessment , period (music) , history , corporate governance , middle ages , archaeology , ancient history , sociology , law , political science , art , aesthetics , politics , management , paleontology , pedagogy , biology , economics
It is generally accepted that rights over land, especially rights of pasture, played a formative role in establishing the identity of early Anglo‐Saxon ‘folk groups’, the predecessors of the middle Anglo‐Saxon kingdoms. This speculative paper sets early medieval and medieval common rights in the context of the archaeological longue durée of the period before 400 ad . It argues that ancient traditions of common governance, integral to Anglo‐Saxon identity, might have offered an attractive legitimacy to middle Anglo‐Saxon kingdom‐builders. While not seeking to establish any answers, the paper hopes to contribute to a wider research agenda.