Synopsis
Based on the study of dress evidence from early medieval cemeteries, this is an archaeology study of Anglo-Saxon textiles and decoration. It focuses on clothing and jewellery and seeks to establish an evidence-based re-evaluation of the cultural and social significance of dress in Anglo-Saxon England., This archaeological study of textiles and costume considers all aspects of Early Anglo-Saxon clothing - how textiles were made in the Early Anglo-Saxon settlements, how the cloth was fashioned into garments, and the nature of the clasps and jewellery with which the clothes were worn. It is both a practical guide to the manufacture of clothing and a review of the significance of textiles and costume within Anglo-Saxon society. Drawing from a database of 3,800 finds, the book includes a review of the primary evidence from 162 Anglo-Saxon cemeteries, where small fragments of the dead's clothes have been preserved with brooches, pins and necklaces. Regional styles of dress, the social and cultural meaning behind changing fashions, the role of women in textile production, and Scandinavian and Continental influences help place the study in its broader historical and archaeological context. This book will be suitable for general readers, undergraduate students, and re-enactors, as well as archaeologists excavating sites of the period and those working in the heritage industry on the reconstruction of Anglo-Saxon life.
