The Dark Ages? The archaeology of early medieval Wales and England

The period between AD 400 and 800 in Britain has been traditionally dismissed as part of ‘the Dark Ages’. The term ‘Dark Age’ refers to a lack of historical sources, rather than any intellectual decline.

Archaeology has helped to fill the gaps and demonstrated that, within a context of immense social and political upheaval this was a very creative period. How communities lived, buried their dead, engaged in ceremony, and organised their politics was subject to wide regional and subregional variation, with plenty of nuance beyond typical narratives of migration, warfare, and conquest.

This module holistically examines developments in the settlement and burial record in a landscape context and explores major themes such as the fracturing of empire, development of early states, the nature of religious change, and the rise of towns. These themes will be explored utilising the archaeological record to illuminate the differing developmental trajectories of England and Wales between the Roman empire and the Viking era.

This course enables you to study from home and participate in an online community of other students. The module is delivered through Blackboard, our online learning environment.
This course can be studied as a stand-alone course, but it is also an optional module for the Certificate of Higher Education in Genealogical Studies at Aberystwyth University.

Assessments
A map and accompanying description of 500 words on place names and local landscapes (20%)

Written assignment of 1500 words - Consider the problems faced by archaeologists in reconstructing early medieval society between the fifth and eighth centuries in England and Wales. (80%)

Note

This module is at CQFW Level 4