South-western Britain in the Early Middle Ages (Studies in the Early History of Britain series) - Hardcover

This book looks at the south-western peninsula, including the present counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset, during the late Roman and post-Roman periods. It considers the exploitation of lowland and upland landscapes and how the social organisation this involved changed over time. Ceremonial activity, including burial, and its relationship to Christian practice, is discussed in detail. The use of monastic foundation, exchange connections with the Mediterranean and the development of centres of power are analysed. The book considers ideas of 'Britishness' and 'Germanness' and the way in which what became the West Saxon kingdom was created. Above all, it stresses the cultural similarities between South-Western Britain and the wider Antique world, as this gradually changed into the world of the early Middle Ages.

Susan Pearce if Director of the Department of Museum Studies at the University of Leicester.