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384 History

FIND OUT MORE. Ancient Rome 382 • Normans 389

WHY DID ANGLES AND SAXONS MOVE TO BRITAIN?

Around 200, the climate became warmer and sea

levels rose, which made life more difficult for the

Angles and Saxons living by the North Sea coast. At

the same time, they were being squeezed by other

westward-moving Germanic peoples. Some of the first

Anglo-Saxons in Britain may have been soldiers,

hired to protect villages against other raiders.

WHO WAS BURIED IN SHIPS?

The Angles and Saxons were pagan, seafaring people

and ships played an important part in their culture.

They believed that boats could ferry a dead person’s

spirit to the next world. People who had been wealthy

when they were alive were buried in ships, together

with the comforts and treasures they were expected to

enjoy in the next world. Poorer Anglo-Saxons were

sometimes buried with a few ship’s planks.

235 CE Germanic tribes

start to invade

410 Goths capture

Rome

435 Vandals take

Roman North

Africa

451 Hun invasions

455 Vandals sack

Rome

476 Last western

Roman emperor

deposed

BARBARIAN ATTACKS

ANGLES AND SAXONS

Angles and Saxons, who were later known

as Anglo-Saxons, lived along the North

Sea coast. They began to raid Britain while

it was under Roman rule. After 410, when

the Roman army left, they arrived in larger

numbers to settle, and gradually took over

much of eastern Britain.

Strong iron base,

decorated with gold,

silver, and garnets

Bird of prey –

its outstretched

wings protect the

wearer’s brow

Side-pieces

protect ears

Age of Migrations

In 395 CE, the division of the Roman Empire became

permanent, and the eastern and western parts of each

had their own emperor. Depite this reorganization, the

western empire could no longer hold out against waves

of invading barbarian tribes from northeastern Europe.

In 410, Rome itself was attacked.

Hun warriors

practically lived

in the saddle

1 ATTILA THE HUN

This bronze plaque of a nomad warrior on horseback was

found in Switzerland. It may represent Attila, the brilliant

but ruthless leader of the Hun army.

WHO WERE THE BARBARIANS?

For the Romans, Germanic tribes, such as the Goths,

moving across the empire were destructive, disorderly

“barbarians”. Over time, these migrant peoples did

settle down, eventually giving their names to their

new homelands such as the Franks in France,

and the. ANGLES AND SAXONS in England.

WH0 WERE THE HUNS?

The Huns were a nomadic people from today’s

Central Asia. Mounted on swift ponies, and

armed with bows and arrows, Hun armies

rode deep into the Roman Empire in search

of plunder. They were not interested in

conquering land.

4 KING’S HELMET

This helmet was found in a

ship grave at Sutton Hoo, in

eastern England. It probably

belonged to Raedwald, a

powerful Anglo-Saxon

king who died around

625. His grave treasures
     also included a sword,
     shield, gold coins,
     and silverware.

migrations