This volume is one of two resulting from a conference on the Landscape of Anglo-Saxon England held in 2007 at the Manchester Centre for Anglo-Saxon Studies. It contains twelve articles above all dealing with archaeological and art historical evidence, while the second volume Place-Names, Language and the Anglo-Saxon Landscape, published in March 2011, contains articles based on textual and place-name evidence. Volume one addresses a number of fundamental questions regarding Anglo-Saxon landscape organisation, questions which have been discussed since the late nineteenth century. Interestingly, many of these have recently been re- evaluated in the light of new archaeological evidence. The first half of the volume mainly covers two themes: a) the emergence of villages and b) the introduction of open fields (replacing the 'Celtic' square fields). The articles in the second half of the book are more wide ranging in their topics and use a greater variety of sources.
The opening chapter, written by Nicholas Higham, provides an overview of research into Anglo-Saxon landscape and settlement studies and how views on this have changed over time. This serves as a useful introduction for readers not entirely familiar with this field of study. It also sets the scene for the current volume and its individual contributions, as Higham takes the reader through key themes of the volume, such as Woodland, Village and Farm and Fields.
The next paper, which discusses the usage of coppiced wood and its importance in Anglo-Saxon society, is written by Christopher Grocock. This stimulating contribution is above all based on experimental archaeology carried out at Bede's World in Northumbria. The chapter makes it clear the large amounts of experience and knowledge have been lost over time and also convincingly demonstrates just how significant wood management was for the Anglo-Saxon economy.
Stephen Rippon's article treats settlement nucleation and agricultural intensification across southern England. This is a useful piece of research as it shifts the focus away from the Midlands, on which so many previous studies have concentrated, and Rippon consequently challenges some central aspects of these studies. He argues that the formation of villages and open fields in the Midlands needs to be put in the context of broader change across southern England and also that this occurred as early as in the "long eighth century," i.e. the time when many other important changes took place in north-west European society.
Chapter four provides a discussion on multiple estate formation in eastern Kent. Stuart Brookes states that this long-debated issue can be studied in a new light through the application of theories drawn from behavioural ecology. The concepts of population growth and ecology are seen as key determinants in estate formation and in this way the increasing competition for land, which would have determined settlement location, is mapped out. One of the most interesting features of this paper is the integrated use of burial data, which provides a chronological framework for the less well- dated rural settlements.
Carenza Lewis's chapter considers a promising line of research, carried out for the HEFA project (Higher Education Field Academy) in Cambridge. This involved investigations of currently occupied rural settlements (CORS) in eastern England with the aim of getting a better understanding of Anglo-Saxon rural settlement patterns. The project participants have completed a rather wide sampling programme of test pitting across the study area. This has provided many new insights into past rural settlements with some regional differences emerging. At this stage it is too early for large conclusions, but the paper demonstrates the value of this strategy in order to provide some answers to questions that may have been seen as very difficult to approach.
The origins of medieval field systems and nucleated settlements are addressed by Susan Oosthuizen. After a rather long introduction the author starts reviewing evidence for common or separate starting points for the two phenomena. Oosthuizen's introduction contains some crucial definitions, such as "open fields" and "nucleated settlement." As they occur frequently in this volume, these definitions would have been a useful feature already in the Higham's introductory chapter. The research question in this chapter, however, is well-founded as is the methodology, even if the available evidence is rather sparse. The conclusions are tentative, but it is argued that in some areas there must be a connection between nucleated settlements and open fields, although these developments do not seem to have been contemporary.
Tom Williamson, in his article "The Environmental Contexts of Anglo-Saxon Settlement," discusses the degree of individual choice involved in the process of settlement. He challenges the view expressed by many recent scholars that the propensity of nucleated villages and open field systems in some areas of England was created by a "fashion" for this type of agriculture. Williamson instead convincingly argues for a middle way where spatial patterns of the Anglo-Saxon landscape have been shaped by topographic and environmental features, but he does so without denying the role of individuals, mutual cultures, languages and ideas. In this way, he sees different agrarian landscapes as results of "rational choices" based on factors such as climate, soils and geology.
Catherine E. Karkov's chapter on calendar illustrations moves the volume into a new area: the representation of the Anglo-Saxon landscape in two eleventh-century manuscripts. Karkov argues, unlike previous scholars, that these calendar illustrations partly represent a new tradition where humans are portrayed within a landscape setting. It is particularly interesting to note that in these landscapes, not only peasants but also the "readers" of the manuscripts, are depicted, albeit with different roles.
This leads nicely on to David Hill's paper on the Anglo-Saxon plough, to a great extent based on manuscript illuminations. Hill's argument is in some ways similar to Karkov's, as he suggests that Anglo-Saxon illustrations of ploughs are not purely reproductions of those in pre-existing manuscripts, but contain details that can provide insights into how contemporary ploughs functioned. Modern reconstructions are discussed and the impact of this particular plough type demonstrated. Unfortunately, the article ends rather abruptly and the conclusion could have been further expanded on.
Debby Banham's paper provides a fascinating insight into Anglo- Saxon cereal production and how the changing dietary preference from barely to wheat led to major landscape change. This change is seen in written sources as well as archaebotanical evidence and Banham concludes that wheat production may have started as early as c. 700 AD. The adoption of open fields and the innovations in plough technology made it possible for the Anglo-Saxons to carry on increasing wheat production and satisfy their desire for white bread.
The following chapter, by Richard Hoggett, treats the early Christian landscape of East Anglia. This is one of the most interesting papers in the volume, as the Christianisation process has too rarely been approached in this way. Building on his own doctoral thesis and studies by other scholars, Hoggett demonstrates how Roman enclosures, and also features from other time periods, were re-used by early Christians. Another major change was the relocation of burial sites to into the settlements. The article concludes with the rather plausible suggestion that conversion in seventh-century East Anglia was more advanced than previously thought, involving large parts of the population. One drawback is the lack of maps as this argument, and others, could in this way have been usefully illustrated.
The volume concludes with a paper by Peter Murphy on the landscape and economy of the Anglo-Saxon coast. This chapter focuses on the more intensive use of coastal resources in the seventh to ninth centuries, evidenced in fish-trap use and the conversion of coastal wetlands into areas for crop production. As Murphy points out, this fits in well with other pieces of evidence presented in this volume.
Overall, this book is a positive read as it demonstrates the degree to which scholars are readdressing longstanding research questions and producing new evidence. As such it forms a new position statement on a number of significant issues, in many cases through rather detailed case studies. It would have been useful with an afterword in order to tie the various contributions together, as the volume to some extent suffers from lack of cohesion. There are very few cross references and little evidence of the different authors having read each other's work. Despite this, the book is a valuable one, which I am sure will be appreciated by many.