Archaeologists Explain Life In Early Dark Age Britain | Digging For Britain

British archaeologists hunt for traces of the Anglo-Saxon invasion, an event which marked the beginning of the Dark Ages in Britain. Artefacts like Roman belts reveal how identities were reinvented during this period. Sites like Bamburgh Castle offer glimpses into Anglo-Saxon life amidst centuries of occupation. Discoveries of graves and intricate jewelry shed light on societal aspects and the transition to Christianity amidst pagan beliefs.

Welcome to Chronicle; your home for all things medieval history! With documentaries covering everything from the collapse of the Roman Empire to the beginnings of the Renaissance, from Hastings to Charlemagne, we'll be exploring everything the Middle Ages have to offer.

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[Burning_Tyger]

Early medieval, post-Roman, pre-viking Britain has recently become one of my favorite historical placetimes. You got the Britons who were Celtic, but by this time, had varying levels of Roman cultural adoption. Then you got the the Welsh, and the "Old North" of Celtic peoples of Goddoddin and Rheged and Elmet. Then way up top you have the Picts who were almost certainly a kind of Celtic, but different from the others further south and may have elements of an older heritage. Then the "invading" Germanics, the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes. Latin vs. Celtic. vs Germanic, Early Latin Christianity vs. the prexisting Celitc beliefs vs. Germanic. Irish invaders and pirates. Music and poetry and war and a kaleidoscope of kingdoms. It's such an amazing clash of cultures and beliefs and history. No wonder that period birthed so many legends.

[MsSteelphoenix]

I love how enthusiastic everyone is. :)

[NameRequiredSoHere]

Speaking of ancient artifacts, at 17:35 there's a Blockbuster video store. In the previous century. local inhabitants would enter this structure to purchase a form of entertainment called "Video Tapes" which were inserted into a special machine. Actual viewing required yet another device that projected moving images through a very large glass object called a "Cathode Ray Tube" .

[pendragon]

It has been really interesting to me lately to learn how gradual a lot of these changes were as opposed to sudden falls. Great video!

[jango]

The ring (31:22) was found at a nunnery at Berkley Castle in Gloustershire which was the captial of Mercia. Lesley Webster (from the British Museum) said the ring (with wolf heads) is from around 825. Around that time, the king of that area would be King Aethelwulf of Wessex. Æthelwulf (Old English: [ˈæðelwuɫf]; Old English for "Noble Wolf") was King of Wessex from 839 to 858. In 825, his father, King Ecgberht, defeated King Beornwulf of Mercia, ending a long Mercian dominance over Anglo-Saxon England south of the Humber. The ring (with wolf heads) must be for that "noble Wolf"; the king of Wessex !!

[J.P.MistaPista]

These experts have been on another show called 'Time Team'. I just love that series, mainly Mick Aston with his colourful pullovers. In this documentary my 'heroes' look so young.

[Jackjackjack]

The real archeological find is the blockbuster at the mall lol

[thedarkhorse]

Great Doc, what amazes me is the craftsmanship people had considering what they had to work with

[ralphstephan]

What I appreciate most about this program is how it builds on prior scholarship in order to establish authenticity of recently discovered artifacts. A truly wonderful 33:44 presentation.

[brianbadonde]

36:40 the woman says they had tooth decay because of a lot of meat, meat does not cause tooth decay, there's nothing in meat that can cause tooth decay, it was starches and sugars obviously maybe combined with some nutrient deficiency

[BalmforthGG]

Excellent work this. YouTube is better for having such quality content. Thank you.

[Familylawgroup]

You know you are watching a video about “state of the art” analysis of ancient and medieval archeology when the documentary includes video of the hosting walking into a shopping center with a prominent “Blockbuster video” store front. I don’t know when Blockbuster vacated the UK, but the American LLC ceased operating as a business on November 6, 2013. Before that, Blockbuster was known for its “preservation” of antiquated media content and antiquated media formats, I.e. VHS cassettes.

[LenayeMarsten]

Beautifully done! Thank you, I really enjoyed this 😊

[cphrpunk]

As the video itself become archeology: a living record of a standing Blockbuster store.

[amypatterson-bocchi]

Wow! That community involvement is FANTASTIC!!! Great for high school excursions too!!!

[dcmackc]

I really enjoy watching and learning with Dr Roberts's videos.

[nole]

A reminder of how lucky to live in the times we do,

[fhovwlh]

That ring 😳 but also the size of the band. That person had to have been massive especially from the times stands

[linkrm]

Building a highway right through an ancient Saxon grave site. What could go wrong? Has no one seen Poltergeist?

[Hydroxica]

Nice a new video just in time for me to watch while eating lunch!