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An atlas of Anglo-Saxon England
Book by Hill, David
180 pages, Paperback
First published October 28, 1981
About the author
David Hill
1,028 books20 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads data base.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 3, 2013
This is more than just a collection of maps, but is an attempt by the author to place Anglo Saxon history in its geographical context by situating a running historical commentary alongside maps that illustrate the historical events.
By using this method David Hill is well placed to use the maps to illustrate the settlement period and events throughout English History to 1066 and slightly beyond. Along the way the maps and Hill's commentary introduce the reader to events such as the Battle of Maldon and theories on the location of Brunnanburh, alongside the divisions of the separate Anglo Saxon kingdoms, archaeology, climate and the economic situation in Anglo Saxon England.
While this book is somewhat oversized and has the look of a coffee table book, it is in fact a highly detailed academic work of geography combined with historical commentary.
By using this method David Hill is well placed to use the maps to illustrate the settlement period and events throughout English History to 1066 and slightly beyond. Along the way the maps and Hill's commentary introduce the reader to events such as the Battle of Maldon and theories on the location of Brunnanburh, alongside the divisions of the separate Anglo Saxon kingdoms, archaeology, climate and the economic situation in Anglo Saxon England.
While this book is somewhat oversized and has the look of a coffee table book, it is in fact a highly detailed academic work of geography combined with historical commentary.
April 26, 2010
A very useful reference book. There are dozens of maps here: topics range from ironworking and mill sites through to population density, churches, topography and more besides. Along with the maps, the text briefly lookings at Viking activity, the growth of the English kingdom and provides key information for each and every map. On its own, this book wouldn't be very helpful; as an accompaniment to other books about the era, it's invaluable.
The chronologies of kings and bishops are also very useful.
The chronologies of kings and bishops are also very useful.
February 12, 2020
This is a gorgeous book that I received as a Christmas present from my folks. The maps are truly lovely and if coloured, they would almost be works of art.
It starts with period maps and then comments on the physical geography and the first stop is the Vikings arriving and the events from there to 1066. From here it backtracks to a few pages on the pre 800 history. I can understand the lack of pages devoted to that, due to the lack of knowledge, but I think more could have been done for this part. Following this the pages are grouped around themes, such as the itineraries of kings (this very graphically demonstrates how little they ventured outside of old Wessex), the location of commodities, mints, places of interest and settlements, etc.
This is a book for bedside reading, rather than sitting and going through from cover to cover as I have done. There isn't a lot to read, but there is a lot to look at and enjoy. It's very good for spotting trends or making obvious something that doesn't come over so well in the written word. One example are the maps of Danelaw. These show how it is hard to definitively define due to the differing ways it could be measured. Treaty Danelaw, hundred/wapentake, hides/carucates and duodecimal/fives units in each county are all different, etc. Hill acknowledges disputed areas, but doesn't get bogged down in the details, which is perhaps for the best in an atlas.
As much as I enjoyed going through this, it is a book that is now dated. It was originally published in 1981 and most of the works cited are from the 60s or earlier, with Stenton's the go to history. Fox's ideas about Offa's dyke have been questioned and few would mention the Jomsvikings unquestionably. Also, a lot of things that we are used to, such as place-name studies aren't yet complete for many places, metal detecting and field walking hadn't really gotten into their stride, either. I suspect that a modern version of this book, which would be brilliant to see, would be quite different.
This is a a lovely book and a joy to look at. It is perhaps more valuable now for showing trends in many areas rather than specifics, though. It's still worth buying for the beauty of it.
It starts with period maps and then comments on the physical geography and the first stop is the Vikings arriving and the events from there to 1066. From here it backtracks to a few pages on the pre 800 history. I can understand the lack of pages devoted to that, due to the lack of knowledge, but I think more could have been done for this part. Following this the pages are grouped around themes, such as the itineraries of kings (this very graphically demonstrates how little they ventured outside of old Wessex), the location of commodities, mints, places of interest and settlements, etc.
This is a book for bedside reading, rather than sitting and going through from cover to cover as I have done. There isn't a lot to read, but there is a lot to look at and enjoy. It's very good for spotting trends or making obvious something that doesn't come over so well in the written word. One example are the maps of Danelaw. These show how it is hard to definitively define due to the differing ways it could be measured. Treaty Danelaw, hundred/wapentake, hides/carucates and duodecimal/fives units in each county are all different, etc. Hill acknowledges disputed areas, but doesn't get bogged down in the details, which is perhaps for the best in an atlas.
As much as I enjoyed going through this, it is a book that is now dated. It was originally published in 1981 and most of the works cited are from the 60s or earlier, with Stenton's the go to history. Fox's ideas about Offa's dyke have been questioned and few would mention the Jomsvikings unquestionably. Also, a lot of things that we are used to, such as place-name studies aren't yet complete for many places, metal detecting and field walking hadn't really gotten into their stride, either. I suspect that a modern version of this book, which would be brilliant to see, would be quite different.
This is a a lovely book and a joy to look at. It is perhaps more valuable now for showing trends in many areas rather than specifics, though. It's still worth buying for the beauty of it.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews