IoA/BM Medieval Seminar: Dr Gareth Williams

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records the continued presence in England of a ‘great heathen army’, tracing its movements from its initial arrival in East Anglia in 865 to settlement in Northumbria in 876 and East Anglia in 879. Although this has previously been the subject of considerable attention from various disciplines, both archaeological and numismatic evidence have typically been interpreted in the light of the historical evidence. A growing body of evidence, including new hoards as well as new evidence from Viking sites, suggests that the situation may have been considerably more complex than the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle and other sources suggest.