The Framework of Anglo-Saxon History To A. D. 900 [Paperback]

Kenneth Harrison examines how Anglo-Saxons reckoned time and the significant part played in the development of historical writing.Kenneth Harrison examines how Anglo-Saxons reckon time through the luni-solar calendar as well as the Easter tables, and thus demonstrates the significant part played by Anglo-Saxons in the development of historical writing. This book will be of interest to Anglo-Saxon scholars, historians studying Irish and Welsh annals and continental sources, and to archaeologists of the period.Kenneth Harrison examines how Anglo-Saxons reckon time through the luni-solar calendar as well as the Easter tables, and thus demonstrates the significant part played by Anglo-Saxons in the development of historical writing. This book will be of interest to Anglo-Saxon scholars, historians studying Irish and Welsh annals and continental sources, and to archaeologists of the period.What were the systems of dating during the various stages of early English history and how accurate were the dates assigned to events? In this study, Kenneth Harrison discusses these fundamental questions which have long occupied and puzzled historians. After a detailed examination of time reckoning and Easter tables, Mr Harrison suggests ways in which Bede and the compilers of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle were able to arrive at a series of dates and thus demonstrates the significant part played by Anglo-Saxons in the development of historical writing. This lucidly written account of complex technical problems will be of particular interest to Anglo-Saxon scholars, historians studying Irish and Welsh annals and continental sources, and to archaeologists of the period.Preface; 1. The moon and the Anglo-Saxon calendar; 2. Raiding and settlement; 3. The Easter tables of Dionysius; 4. The Christian era in Britain; 5. Bede's History; 6. Annals and charters; 7. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle; Appendices; Bibliography; Index.