The origins of kingship have typically been accepted as a natural or inevitable development by scholars. The purpose of this thesis is to question that assumption. This work will re-examine the origins of early Anglo-Saxon kingship through a coherent and systematic survey of the available and pertinent archaeological and historical sources, addressing them by type, by period and as their varying natures require. The thesis begins with the archaeological evidence. ‘Elite’ burials, such as Mound One, Sutton Hoo, will be ranked according to their probability of kingliness. This process will point to elite burial as being a regionally-specific, predominately-seventh-century, phenomenon of an ideologically-aware, sophisticated and established political institution. Consequently, elite burial cannot be seen as an indication of the origins of kingship, but can instead be interpreted as a development or experiment within kingship. Analysis of ‘elite’ settlements, such as Yeavering, and numismatic evidence, will lead to similar conclusions. Further, consideration of various other settlement types – former Roman military sites in Northern Britain, former Roman Towns, and enclosed settlements – will point to various potential origins of Anglo-Saxon kingship in the form of continuities with previous Roman, Romano-British or British power structures. The thesis will go on to consider the historical sources. Those of the fifth and sixth centuries, primarily Gildas’s De excidio et conquestu Britanniae, point to several factors of note. The cessation of formal imperial rule over Britain following c.410 effectively created a power vacuum. Various new sources of political power are observable attempting to fill this vacuum, one of which, ultimately, was kingship. Through analogy with contemporary British kingdoms, it is possible to suggest that this development of kingship in England may be placed in the early sixth, if not the fifth, centuries. This would make the origins of Anglo-Saxon kingship significantly earlier than typically thought. This kingship was characterised by the conduct of warfare, its dependence on personal relationships, and particularly by its varying degrees of status and differing manifestations of power covered by the term king. Further details will be added to this image through the narrative and documentary sources of the seventh and early eighth centuries. These predominately shed light on the subsequent development of kingship, particularly its growing association with Christianity. Indeed, the period around c.600 can be highlighted as one of notable change within Anglo-Saxon kingship. However, it is possible to point to the practice of food rents, tolls and the control of resources serving as an economic foundation for kingship, while legal intervention and claimed descent from gods also provide a potential basis of power. Several characteristics of seventh- and early-eighth-century kingship will also be highlighted as being relevant to its origins – the conduct of warfare and the exercise of over-kingship – relating to the general propensity for amalgamation through conquest. Other trajectories are also highlighted, specifically continuity from previous Roman and British entities and the development of ‘pop-up’ kingdoms. The overall result is one in which long-term amalgamation and short-term disintegration and re-constitution were equally in evidence, set against the wider context of broad regional continuities. Overall, therefore, the thesis will not fully resolve the issue of the origins of Anglo-Saxon kingship, but it does offer a means to re-frame discussion, explore the social and economic underpinnings of kingship and assess its primacy as an institution within early Anglo-Saxon England.

The aim of this work was to characterize the diet of a Merovingian population sample and examine if apparent differences in grave good assemblages of Merovingian burials and transfromation of this funerary rite during 6th and 7th centuries were reflected in diet. Dietary composition was assessed using a carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis of 74 bone collagen samples from adults buried at an early medieval cemetery of le-Norroy-le-Veneur, France. Results showed diet based primarily on C3 plants, supplemented with animal protein in a range similar to other contemporary sites. No significant contribution of C4 plants (e.g. millet) or marine-derived protein has been detected and neither has δ15 N dependency on status, sex or datation been found. However, persons with rich grave good assemblages had significantly higher δ13 C than low-ranking individuals. Also, during the time of use of the cemetery there has been a population-wide decrease of 0,33 ‰ in mean value of δ13 C, independent of social status or sex. Results indicate that dietary differentiation steaming from social stratification was only in its early phase of formation, slowly following a progressive rise in power of the Merovingian nobility, and the general subsistence was affected by another independent change in society, most...

This diploma thesis "Stara Boleslav in the context of the Collegiate CHapter House os Saint Cosmas and Damian" focuses on Collegiate Chapter House os Saint Cosmad and Damian, which was found by prince Bretislaus I. The main theme is the founding of the Chapter House (its origin and causem of it) and the associated construction of the church of Saint Wenceslaw. The research will focuse mainly on the property and business affairs of the Chapter House. The thesis also deals with the prince Bratislaus I. and the church of Saint Clement, which is adjacent to the church of Saint Wenceslaw.

The aim of this diploma thesis was the initial genetic analysis of early mediaeval burial site from Mlekojedy polycultural locality (Litoměřice District, Czech Republic). Autosomal STR markers were chosen because of the following reasons. The high degree of polymorphism of these markers and the high extent of heterozygosity favor the use of STRs instead of mitochondrial DNA for the structural analysis of small populations. Usefulness of STR typing for validation purposes was demonstrated many times before. We used primers for miniSTRs to obtain the fullest results. Nuclear DNA was extracted from 35 % of bone samples and 91 % of teeth. We detected lower PCR amplification success rate of fragments longer than 150 bp and very high rate of allele drop-out which is sign of degraded DNA. Twelve reliable genotypes were determined for TH01 marker. Observed allele frequency and genetic diversity values were discussed in comparison with recent populations and other aDNA studies of burial sites. Keywords: ancient DNA, STR markers, miniSTR, early medieval burial site, Czech population

This thesis looks at a period of Northumbrian history when the king was a part Irish, Iona trained scholar. Some have suggested that Aldfrith was assisted to the kingship by the northern victors of the battle of Nechtansmere. It examines processes in the late seventh century to try to identify changes that might have happened during the reign of this king. The study begins with a wide overview of previous research to establish a basis from which to look for processes and change and also examines the sources available to us, written and archaeological. It then looks at the kingdoms to the north and west and at Aldfrith and the period of his reign. The suggestion is made that Aldfrith acted, with the Church, to cult saints that were Northumbrian and Romanist, as opposed to other options that might have been available. It proposes that the Northumbrians rejected opportunities to develop links with the north and west that may have been open to them. The following chapters then examine processes underway in Northumbria in three general areas; in the use of power, in society, and in the economy. It concludes that although many processes continued as before, these sped up and in certain areas such as the production of coins, and the consequential development of trade, it was a period of innovation. There is no evidence of a focus to the north and west during Aldfrith's reign and this has implications for how Aldfrith got to the throne, suggesting that it was with the support of the Northumbrian elite and not through the military strength of the Dál Riata or the Picts. The evidence is that Northumbria increasingly looked south for its influences and is prepared to absorb and implement processes and approaches from southern England, Gaul and Rome.

Despite decades of scholarly scrutiny, the politico-economic exploits of vikings in and around the Frankish realm (c. 750-940 CE) remain - to a considerable extent - obscured by the constraints of a fragmentary and biased corpus of (near-)contemporary evidence, conveying the impression that these movements were capricious, haphazard, and gratuitous in character. For this reason, rather than selectively assessing individual instances of regional Franco-Scandinavian interaction, the present study approaches the available interdisciplinary data on a cumulative and conceptual level, and combines this with the innovative use of GIS to detect and define overall spatiotemporal patterns of viking activity. Set against a backdrop of continuous commerce and knowledge exchange, this overarching survey demonstrates the existence of a relatively uniform, sequential framework of wealth extraction, encampment, and political engagement, within which Scandinavian fleets operated as adaptable, ambulant polities - or 'hydrarchies'. By delineating and visualising this framework, a four-phased conceptual development model of hydrarchic conduct and consequence is established, whose validity is substantiated by its application to three distinct regional case studies: the lower Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt Basin, the Seine Basin, and the Loire Basin. As well as facilitating the deductive analysis of viking activity for which primary evidence has thus far been ambiguous or altogether absent, the parameters of this abstract model affirm that Scandinavian movements across Francia were the result of prudent and expedient decision-making processes, contingent on exchanged intelligence, cumulative experience, and the ongoing individual and collective need for socioeconomic subsistence and enrichment.

<p>This thesis is a historical archaeological essay and deals with the Frankish empire and its sway over the European area. The aim of this essay has been to examine if the sway of the Franks reached the Scandinavian area. The Frankish empire was the most influential power in Western Europe from the 6th century until the death of Charlemagne 814 AD, when the kingdom began to disrupt. The essay is divided into three parts. The first part is a background where I describe the Frankish empire in a historical context. The second part contains the archaeological finds. The third part contains a discussion and conclusions.</p>

The aim of this paper is to use isotope analysis of carbon, nitrogen and sulphur from bone and teeth to investigate whether women from the Viking age and early medieval cemetery in Varnhem were local, rather than from a wider area. What is interesting about this area is that it is a Christian cemetery that was taken into use as early as the Viking age (800-1050 AD), a time where the majority of the Swedish population were pagans. It is therefore thought that the majority of the people buried on the cemetery are people from other parts of the landscape, since few other Christian cemeteries are known from his time. I tested my hypothesis with two research questions regarding diet and sulphur isotope ratios. The results from the isotope analysis showed that the women had a rather homogeneous diet and homogeneous sulphur isotope values. These results can strengthen my hypothesis that they were resident in Varnhem.

This thesis is a historical archaeological essay and deals with the Frankish empire and its sway over the European area. The aim of this essay has been to examine if the sway of the Franks reached the Scandinavian area. The Frankish empire was the most influential power in Western Europe from the 6th century until the death of Charlemagne 814 AD, when the kingdom began to disrupt. The essay is divided into three parts. The first part is a background where I describe the Frankish empire in a historical context. The second part contains the archaeological finds. The third part contains a discussion and conclusions.

Written in c. 700 at the island monastery of Iona, Adomnán’s Vita Sancti Columbae (VSC) is an important source for the study of early medieval Scotland and Ireland. This thesis analyses the text as a literary work, seeking to understand more about its internal logic and the ways in which it relates to other kinds of literary texts. These include Biblical texts, other early insular, continental and late antique hagiographies, vernacular secular sagas, legal texts, scholarly literature and wisdom literature. Adomnán did not necessarily know all of these texts, and some of them post-date him, but they provide a wider interpretative context for VSC. Adomnán’s other known work, De Locis Sanctis, and texts connected to him, such as Cáin Adomnáin, will also be considered. I look for points of similarity and divergence between Vita Sancti Columbae and these other texts, which I term “adjacent literature”, looking to see how the text relates to its wider literary and intellectual context. By taking this approach, we are able to understand the text better on its own terms, making it more useful as a source for historical study. The text is studied, and set within its wider context, with respect to the following main areas: The Manuscripts of Vita Sancti Columbae: the visual construction of the text: Considering the five surviving manuscripts of the first recension of VSC, but focussing especially on the earliest (Schaffhausen Stadtbibliothek Generalia 1, of near authorial date and Ionan provenance), this chapter considers how the visual presentation of VSC relates to its production and reproduction as a literary text. Page layout, illumination, the use of the Greek alphabet and different colours of ink and manuscript context are all discussed. Structure and Narrative Sequencing in Vita Sancti Columbae: VSC is not a chronologically-structured account of Columba’s life, but rather a hagiography made up of many short narratives that demonstrate his sanctity and power in different ways. These narratives are arranged thematically, with a basic tripartite structure, with one book concerned with prophecies, one with miracles and one with visions. The narratives within the three books are often arranged into small, tightly constructed clusters of related stories. This chapter is an investigation of both the overall structure of the work and the “micro-structure” of the sequencing of narratives. Language and Vita Sancti Columbae: This chapter explores Adomnán’s style as a Hiberno-Latin writer, including discussions of such techniques as hyperbaton, alliteration and variatio. Adomnán’s use of and attitudes to Greek and Hebrew are also explored, as is his use of and attitudes to Old Irish. Sex, Women and Violence in Vita Sancti Columbae: This chapter investigates Adomnán’s presentations of sexual behaviour, the role of women as givers of advice, and the violence inflicted on the innocent. Several of the narratives about violence clearly have a strong gendered dimension, and relate in interesting ways to Cáin Adomnáin, and they are discussed in this light. Dangerous Beasts in Vita Sancti Columbae: VSC contains several encounters with dangerous beasts of various kinds, some of which are not unambiguously identifiable. These episodes are studied in turn, including discussions about identifying the beasts, and investigating the functions that they have within the text. Vita Sancti Columbae and Cult Practice: The thesis concludes with an exploration of the roles VSC might have played in the life of the Columban familia. The use of blessed objects and relics within the text is studied, with suggestions as to their relation to cult practice. The final section concerns the possibility that certain parts of VSC were intended to be used in processions, or to be read with the active participation of an audience.