The Dark Ages | The British History Podcast

So the year is 586, and Ceawlin is the leader of the men of Wessex. Wessex has been expanding their holdings to the north and the west, and have been growing in power. Conversely, in the East are the men of Kent under the leadership of AEthelbehrt, who (we are told) has been ruling since […] The post 82 – War. What Is It Good For? first appeared on The British History Podcast .

Ok, we have a battle coming up but things are still changing rather rapidly and there’s some interesting stuff to cover regarding that, such as language, religion, culture, warfare, and that question that’s probably nagging you at the back of your head… if we have wealthy powerful kings in England, why don’t we have anything […] The post 81 – In Search of Unity: A Tal...

Ok, when we left off, Ida had become king of Bernicia and we had the beginnings of regional cultural groups. These groups were the result of a whole host of influences including everything from geographical features, to political decisions, to things as simple as wealth and a sense of cool. But the point is that […] The post 80 – Bloodletting first appeared on The British History Podcast .

I’m going to wrap up the discussion of the development of regional cultures with a talk on an omnipresent (yet often ignored) influence on all of human development. This subject is often ignored in most disciplines, and it is definitely undervalued (unfairly) in many treatises on history. I speak, of course, of Nature. Support the […] The post 78 – It’s Only Natural first appeared on T...

Ok, when we last left off, we were talking about a new class of elites in sub-roman britain. A group of individuals we identify as anglo saxons and kings, and we also mentioned the class of nobles that was growing up around them. We also talked about how that change, the increase in social stratification, […] The post 77 – Cliques: How the In Crowd Created Our Culture first appeared on The B...

Today we start with a death. Wihtgar, brother of beloved Stuff, warrior, conqueror of Cerdic’s-Ore, and ruler of the Isle of Wight died in 544. Or did he? Support the Show The post 76 – Developing Class first appeared on The British History Podcast .

Alright, so when we left off, Cerdic and his son had recently arrived on the island and the Battle of Mons Badonicus had just taken place. So that’s exciting. And Gildas says that it was followed by peace, and procopius tells us that Germans were fleeing from Britannia as late as about 30 years later. […] The post 75 – Cerdic and Cynric: A Story of… well… Probably Farmers first appeared on T...

Right, so here we are right in the middle of all the drama and bloodshed that has been called the Anglo Saxon invasion. We have famous names such as Hengest and Aelle showing up. Support the Show The post 74 – When Neighbors Attack: A Story of “Kings” first appeared on The British History Podcast .

Ok, it’s been a while since we’ve spoken about the story. Instead, we’ve been chatting about the culture and the people, we’ve been speaking about digs and hoards, we’ve been discussed booze and horse dung. But we haven’t spoken too much about the politics of the time. Support the Show The post 73 – And This Gives You Power Over Me? first appeared on The British...

Today we’re wrapping up the Staffordshire Hoard project. We have been given an amazing amount of depth and detail thanks to the wonderful experts who took the time to talk with us. And today, we’re going to hear from Dr. Kevin Leahy. You might have read his scholarly articles or his books, some of which […] The post 72 – Staffordshire Hoard: Wrapping Up with Kevin Leahy first app...

Today we’re going to learn more about the context and the craftsmanship of the Hoard. I think this will help shed some light on what makes this find so special, and also help you understand the sort of research that’s going into it and the number of mysteries it is revealing! The Staffordshire Hoard: www.staffordshirehoard.org.uk […] The post 71 – Staffordshire Hoard: Psychopathi...

Today we have more from Cathy Shingler! Now that we’ve heard about the discovery of the Hoard and how it has been excavated and preserved, we’re going to talk a bit about how it is being interpreted. And Cathy has quite a lot of fascinating theories to share with us regarding the objects that have […] The post 70 – Staffordshire Hoard: Interpretation with Cathy Shingler first app...

Today we’re chatting with Deborah Cane about how the Hoard is being preserved for future generations. Some of this stuff is cutting edge work. I hope you’re as fascinated by it as I was. The Staffordshire Hoard: www.staffordshirehoard.org.uk The Potteries Museum: www.stokemuseums.org.uk/pmag The Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery: www.bmag.org.uk Support the Show The post 69 – Staffords...

Deb Klemperer took the time to chat with us via telephone today regarding the treasury inquest that focused on the 81 new objects that were found and added to the hoard including a new cross and what looks like a “cheek piece” that matches the one originally found! Also, for my money, the most exciting […] The post 68 – Staffordshire Hoard: A Bonus Update on the New Find first ap...

I love the way Deb Klemperer tells stories, so today we’re going to hear more from Deb on the Hoard. As you might recall from the last episode, she is the head curator at The Potteries Museum at Stoke-on-Trent.  She has quite a lot to share with us on what was going on, and some […] The post 67 – Staffordshire Hoard: Deb Klemperer on the Dig first appeared on The British History P...

Today’s episode features Deb Klemperer, the head curator at The Potteries Museum at Stoke-on-Trent.  We will be discussing the museum side of the Hoard, theories on the objects, and what it was like to be at the center of one of the biggest events in Anglo Saxon archaeology! The Staffordshire Hoard: www.staffordshirehoard.org.uk The Potteries Museum: […] The post 66 – Staffordshir...

Today’s episode features Stephen Dean, the principle archaeologist of the Staffordshire County Council.  We will be discussing all things related to the first dig. And then, once the inquest is over in the new year, he will return and fill us in on the findings from the newest covert Staffordshire dig! The Staffordshire Hoard: www.staffordshirehoard.org.uk […] The post 65 – Staffo...

We’ve reached 3,000 likes on facebook!  So as promised, here’s a bonus member’s only episode.  This time, I’m releasing an episode looking into the potential beginnings of the Arthurian myth.  I hope you like it! Support the Show The post 63 – King Arthur Part One first appeared on The British History Podcast .

Today’s episode features Cathy Shingler, of The Potteries Museum in Stoke on Trent.  She will be discussing with us the iconic band, possibly from a cross, with Latin inscriptions along both sides of it.  We will also speak about the cultural significance of the materials used in many of the objects found in the Hoard, […] The post 62 – Staffordshire Hoard: Rise Up O Lord fir...

Today we are beginning our project on the Staffordshire Hoard.  We will be featuring interviews from major figures within the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, The Potteries Museum in Stoke on Trent, and with the Staffordshire County Council. The Staffordshire Hoard: www.staffordshirehoard.org.uk The Potteries Museum: www.stokemuseums.org.uk/pmag The Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery: www.bm...

They’re coming… Support the Show The post 60 – The Return of the Kings first appeared on The British History Podcast .

As you might imagine since I’m doing an episode on it, Halloween has a lot of British influence upon it. In fact, the name itself comes from Scotland, where All Saint’s Eve (also known as All Hallow’s Eve) was shortened in the 16th century to Halloween. And the name stuck. But as you have probably […] The post 59 – The Halloween Special first appeared on The British History Podcast .

This is a combination episode covering medicine in the Dark Ages! Support the Show The post 58 – Dark Age Medicine first appeared on The British History Podcast .

Ok, we’ve been getting pretty deep into the weeds and have been getting farther and farther from a coherent story. On the one hand, the culture is the story, but on the other hand it’s hard to get attached to a story if you forget who we are talking about and the people involved. So […] The post 57 – A Tale of Three Cities (sort of) first appeared on The British History Podcast .

OK, So I had requests for an episode on construction. I actually had a surprising number of requests for it, actually. So we’re going to do a single episode on how things were built, and since we’ve been talking about feasts, we’ll talk about… of course… feasting halls. Support the Show The post 55 – Anglo Saxon Construction first appeared on The British History Podca...