Daily Life in Anglo-Saxon England

Sally Crawford has lectured in medieval archaeology at the Universities of Birmingham and Oxford, UK. She is a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries.

• Preface Acknowledgments Introduction Timeline Glossary 1. DOMESTIC LIFE Family ChildrenWomen Men Marriage Rites of Passage Primary Document A: Wynflæd’s Will, Part I: Widow Wynflæd Thinks of Her Family Primary Document B: A Remedy for Successful Birth Primary Document C: On Legal Marriage (Be wifmannes beweddunge) 2. RURAL LIFE Seasons Farming and Agriculture Famine Ethnicity and Migration Social Class Slavery Primary Document D: Gerefa, Part I: How to Be an Expert Land Manager (Be sceadwisan gerefan) Primary Document E: Wynflæd’s Will, Part II: Wynflæd Decides What to Do with Her Slaves 3. ECONOMIC LIFE Urban Life Trade Travel Labor Money Primary Document F: Gerefa, Part II: Providing Tools for the Laborers and Craftspeople on the Estate Primary Document G: Ælfric’s Colloquy—the Merchant and the Smith 4. INTELLECTUAL LIFE Training and Education Health, Disease, and Disability Science Primary Document H: Ælfric’s Colloquy—the Pupils and the Plowman Primary Document I: Remedies for Eye Problems and a Test for Meningitis from Bald’s Leechbook 5. MATERIAL LIFE PossessionsHousing Lighting Furniture Clothing Hairstyles Primary Document J: Wulfwaru’s Will: The Joy of Stuff Primary Document K: Wynflæd’s Will, Part III: Cloths and Clothing 6. POLITICAL LIFE Government Structure Laws and Policies Crime and Punishment Warfare Primary Document L: From the Laws of Æthelred II: Matching the Punishment to the Crime Primary Document M: Cynewulf and Cyneheard, from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle 757 Primary Document N: Extract from the Old English Life of St. Guthlac 7. RECREATIONAL LIFE Exercise, Sports, and Games Music Dance Visual Arts Literature Humor Feasting, Food, and Drink Holidays and Festivals Primary Document O: Riddles from the Exeter Book: Bagpipe Primary Document P: More Riddles from the Exeter Book: Onion and Inkwell Primary Document Q: Old English Cookery: Seed Bread, Sage Omelet, and Soup 8. RELIGIOUS LIFE Beliefs FuneralsSacred Spaces Ritual Deposits ChurchMagic and Superstitions Primary Document R: The Father of English Religious Poetry? Cædmon’s Dream Song Primary Document S: An Extract from the Sermon of the Wolf to the EnglishPrimary Document T: Æcerbot: A Field Blessing RitualBibliographyIndex