The roots of England lie within the fertile soil of its earliest kingdom, that of the people of Kent. Here, for a brief moment under King Ęthelbert of Kent (c.560-616) this corner of England was transformed into the first Anglo-Saxon and Christian kingdom. But who were the Anglo-Saxons and what happened in Kent during the Dark Ages after the departure of the Roman legions in AD 410?
This book draws archaeological and historical evidence together for the first time in one volume to explain how Kent became the most important place in England, noted for its power, culture, wealth and international contacts and why, by the ninth century, it had become absorbed by its more powerful neighbours, the Anglo-Saxons.
| Acknowledgements |
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6 | (2) |
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Chapter 1 Introduction and Background |
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8 | (16) |
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Chapter 2 Fifth-Century Kent: a Sub-Roman Province? |
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24 | (20) |
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Chapter 3 From Multi-Culture to Kentish Culture: ad 500-580/90 |
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44 | (25) |
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Chapter 4 Æthelberht's Kent: c.ad 589-618 |
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69 | (24) |
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Chapter 5 The Middle Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Kent: c.ad 650-850 |
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93 | (27) |
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Chapter 6 The End of the Kingdom of Kent |
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120 | (19) |
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139 | (2) |
| Appendix 1 The Law Codes of Æthelberht |
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141 | (4) |
| Appendix 2 The Law Codes of Hlothhere and Eadric |
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145 | (2) |
| Appendix 3 The Law Codes of Wihtred |
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147 | (3) |
| Appendix 4 The Kentish Kings and Rulers |
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150 | (1) |
| Further Reading |
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151 | (5) |
| Index of People and Places |
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156 | |
Stuart Brookes and Sue Harrington were awarded their doctorates at UCL Institute of Archaeology, having researched, respectively, economics, trade and exchange and aspects of craft production and gender identity, both drawing on the archaeology of Anglo-Saxon Kent. Since then they have worked collaboratively and separately on a number of research projects on Anglo-Saxon England, on issues such as early medieval burial, civil defence, and government. They are the co-editors of ASKED, the Anglo-Saxon Kent Electronic Database, available via the Archaeology Data Service.
