This term we're learning all about the Anglo-Saxons and what life was like during that time. We visited Bead's World to discover a little more about the importance of animals and to explore the replica Anglo-Saxon village.
Anglo-Saxon houses were huts made of wood, with thatched roofs. They only had one room where everyone ate, cooked, slept and entertained. Houses tended to built facing the sun so that they could get as much heat and light as possible. Here are some replicas of what they would of looked like.
The biggest house in the village belonged to the chief, which was large enough to house him and all of his warriors - and sometimes even the animals! It was a long hall with a stone fire in the middle. There were tiny windows and a hole in the roof to allow smoke to escape. The warriors would gather around the fire and share riddles and stories.
As a class we gathered around the fire and listened to some riddles and stories, just like the Anglo-Saxons. We then shared biscuits which were cooked on the fire.
We explored the Anglo-Saxon village and went inside the houses. They were very dark and small!
We learned that the Anglo-Saxons would be punished for their wrong-doings by having their feet shackled for three days and three nights. They wouldn't get fed for these three days and people would throw old, rotten food at them! Some of us had a go!
Anglo-Saxons wore 'Amulets' for protection - but much of their protective power came from the words, which were said to 'empower' them. Amulets are something worn or carried in a bag or pouch, which are considered to have magical properties. The 'magic' is often to avert evil. Amulets may include a specific 'magical' letter - rune. In the Anglo-Saxon alphabet, each rune had a special meaning.
We all got a chance to make our own amulets. We chose which particular rune we'd like and then transferred it onto the wooden badge.
The Vikings first invaded Britain in 793AD and last invaded in 1066, when William the Conqueror became King of England after the Battle of Hastings.
The first invasion was at Lindisfarne. Some of the monks were drowned at sea and others killed or taken away as slaves.
In the years that followed, villages near the sea and cities found themselves being invaded by these intruders! Soon enough, no where in Britain was safe from the Vikings!
No matter how many times the Vikings were beaten, they always came back. In the end, their efforts paid off and the Vikings of Normandy finally conquered England in 1066.