As Roman Britain disintegrated and barbarian Germanic groups carved up the richest parts of the old province independent Celtic kingdoms were created in the West and North of Britain.  This course is designed to provide a better understanding of the archaeological evidence for the development of ‘Celtic Britain' under Anglo-Saxon encroachment, the emergence of kingdoms throughout the ‘Celtic West' and the emergence of Christianity.  It will follow the material evidence in each area to demonstrate its variability and the problems of recognition which affect different areas at different times.  The process of Anglo-Saxon expansion and the weakness in evidence after the 8^th century in much of western Britain means that the course focuses on the period 400-800.  The very rich Irish evidence and the evidence of Scandinavian settlement in the Viking Age is only referred to in passing.

• knowledge of the archaeological record for the Celtic West of Britain.
• that they understand aspects of the historical record and its synthesis with archaeology.
• that they understand the nature of the settlement record and its implications for social structure,
• the burial record, Christianity and the artefacts found in the area.
• that they understand current debates about the Celtic West.
• that they can write knowledgeably about the subject under examination conditions.

The principal medium will be the illustrated lecture, using 20 lecture periods and at least 2 seminars throughout the courser.  Lectures will investigate individual themes.  Seminars will give students the chance to discuss topics in small groups and to contribute ideas and interpretations.

• the ability to evaluate evidence of varying quality and source
• the ability to correlate information from lectures, seminars and independent reading
• the ability to present their knowledge in a coherent manner in essay and exam conditions

 Discipline Specific (including practical) Skills:

The ability to demonstrate an understanding of archaeological evidence and its limitations

 Transferable Skills:

• the ability to write cogently and critically in an assessed essay and under examination conditions.
• the ability to understand complex arguments and evaluate the evidence in support of them.
• to work independently and produce work to deadlines.

The assessed essay, examination, and non-assessed seminars, require the student to demonstrate critical analysis of the archaeological evidence for the post-Roman period in the Celtic areas.

• 1)  Introduction to the course.  Dates, geographical area, approaches.  Dark Age or Late Antiquity

  2) Roman Britain.   How Romanised was Britain?  Consider the evidence for the degree to which Britain was Romanised, and to what extent it remained so in the fourth century. How Romanised was the West? How Celtic? Evaluate the evidence of towns, rural settlement, coinage, other artefacts, and political and social structures.

  3)  The historical account for the End

  The historical evidence for the ‘end’ of Roman Britain and the fifth and earlier sixth-century history of post-Roman Britain is based on a handful of sources.  Continental source give us a vague account to the mid 5th century. Some specialists reject any historical account of the period 400-600. Gildas is our main source after the 440's and we must consider what he tells us about the Adventus Saxonum.

  SEE:: Wood 2003 (on line); Sims-Williams 1983a; 1983b; Snyder 1998, 17-49; Higham 1992; Yorke 1993.

  4) The English takeover 1.  Where, when and why do some areas become England?

   SEE: Hills 2003; Fleming 2010, 45-60; Brugmann 2011; Scull 1993

  4) The English takeover 1.  Where, when and why do some areas become England

  5) The English takeover 2.  Settlements, language continuity, British survival

  6)  Historical sources in the West.  How good are our historical sources? Dumville's critique; Gildas, Nennius, Annals, Saints' Lives; English sources; Local source critique; Do they improve as we get beyond 600?

  7) Trade goods and chronology.  How do we date the archaeology of the Celtic West? Roman survivals? Absence of grave groups; the imported pottery and glass; what dates and what implications; high status or circular argument? Post-import chronology and the nature of the archaeological record.

  8) Somerset and the west of England.  Varied Romanisation in the south-west of England; rich lowland Somerset, Avon etc.  What continuation of Roman settlement? What is South Cadbury?  Archaeology without Arthur. Wansdyke;  Pagan temples and early Christianity.

  9)  Dumnonia. Highland Cornwall & Devon? Exeter, Tintagel and the fort sites. Lower level settlement: Gwithian, Trethurgy. Irish settlement?

  10) Wales. An intermittent historical record; Llandaff charters? What Roman survival?  Dark’s Late Antique West?  Dinas Powys, Longbury Bank; Dinas Emrys; Dark's site recognition; lower status sites. White’s Britannia Prima.

  11) Early Christian Monuments. Class 1 inscribed stones - what date, function? Are they Christian? What social meaning? Names, titles, languages, status. Crosses and later stones.

  12) Wroxeter, Britannia Prima and York.  What is happening at Wroxeter?  Is it a town?  Are they still Romans? What implication does it have for British survival elsewhere? What other town sites have 5^th century pre-English evidence?

  13)  The North of England.  Why is there so little between Wales and Carlisle?  Invisible Britons?  English takeover. What happens to Hadrian’s Wall?

  14) Southern Scotland:  The British of the North – Gwyr y Gogledd. Defended settlement and high status residences in Scotland; Palisades, hillforts and crannogs. Strathclyde, Gododdin, Rheged, and English conquest. What is Whithorn?.

  15)  The Picts 1:  The Symbols,  mainland: hillforts and undefended settlement., 

  16) The Picts 2: Cellular buildings and artefact sequences in the western and northern isles. The Udal, Buckquoy and pre-Viking settlement in the islands.

  17) Dal Riata.  An Irish kingdom in Scotland or another migration myth?

  18) Ireland.  Ireland has the richest settlement evidence: ringforts, crannogs, souterrains, open settlements. Is it all early medieval and why is the record so much richer than that of the Celtic West of Britain?

  19) Christianity.  The emergence of Christianity in the Celtic West was of profound significance.  Was there a ‘Celtic' Church?  What is distinct about its archaeology?

  20) Art and artefacts.  Is there a post-Roman Celtic art?  What is distinctive about the artefacts of the Celtic West and North?

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