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n this issue, we have looked at the Anglo-
Saxon period in England from a variety of
angles. What is definite is that life in
England changed dramatically between the
Roman withdrawal in 410C.E.and the
arrival of a new Norman king in 1066C.E.
(see pages 44–48). Scholars once had to rely on
controversial sources to figure out what happened
in the years between these events. Now, new
approaches, as well as recently uncovered
archaeological finds, have given rise to previously
unknown facts and tales about people long
forgotten.NEW METHODS — NEW INFO
Uncovering these facts and tales offers
challenging, yet exciting, problems. Medieval
authors and even modern researchers have often
focused on the people who were part of the upper
classes, such as kings and bishops (see pages
28–30), and on amazing artifacts — the Sutton
Hoo helmet, for example, that must have been
worn by a king (see page 57). But modern
advances in technology are offering new insightsinto areas of daily life that went unnoticed or
unmentioned by medieval authors. Isotopic
studies are helping to reveal details about
migration that were once thought impossible to
determine without textual records (see pages 6–8).
Plant remains are beginning to offer information
about what people ate and how their food and
farming habits changed (see pages 37–39).
Figuring out these details definitely breathes new
life into our views of the past. It also helps keep
the field of historical research fresh and vibrant.
The stories that emerge from this research may,
at times, seem both familiar and strange. The
language, the literature, and lifestyles all seem
wildly different. Yet, the Anglo-Saxons continue to
pop up in daily life today. This is often because
people have revived medieval motifs for modern
purposes. This practice is known as medievalism.
Today, we find references to the Anglo-Saxons and
their world in re-enactments, movies, and works
of fantasy fiction. Perhaps the most important
single work of medievalism is The Lord of the Rings
trilogy (see poster opposite), written by the great
Anglo-Saxon scholar J.R.R. Tolkien. Fantasy worksI