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4600 BCE
Anglo-Saxon houses
The Anglo-Saxons didn’t like the stone houses and streets left by the Romans, so they built their own villages. They looked for land which had lots of natural resources like food, water and wood to build and heat their homes, and Britain’s forests had everything they needed. They surrounded each village with a high fence to protect cattle from wild animals like foxes and wolves, and to keep out their enemies, too. -
4500 BCE
When did they invade Britain?
Anglo-Saxons attempted to invade for the first time in the 4th century, but the Roman army hastened to send them home again.
They left their homes in Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark and sailed over to Britain on wooden boats. -
4500 BCE
Anglo-Saxon place names
Many towns and villages still carry their Anglo-Saxon names today, including "England", which comes from the Saxon word "Angle-Land". The earliest Anglo-Saxon villages were named after the leader of the tribe so that everyone would know who was in charge. -
4500 BCE
Anglo-Saxon food
They loved good food and used to throw big parties in the boss's lounge. The meat was cooked on the fire and they ate bread, drank beer and sang songs until late at night!
They grew wheat, barley, and oats to make bread and porridge, grew fruits and vegetables such as carrots, parsnips, and apples, and raised pigs, sheep, and cattle for meat, wool, and milk. -
4500 BCE
Anglo-Saxon clothes
They made their own clothes from natural materials. The men wore long-sleeved robes made of wool or linen, often decorated in a pattern. His pants were made of wool and held by a leather belt from which he could hang his tools, such as knives and bags. The shoes were generally made of leather and were fastened with laces or levers.The women wore a linen or wool underwear and an outer dress like an apron called "peplos" which was held in the bottom layer by two brooches on the shoulders. -
4500 BCE
Anglo-Saxon gods
Many of today's Christian traditions come from the Anglo-Saxons, but they were not always Christian. When they first arrived from Europe, they were pagans, worshiping many different gods who believed that different parts of their lives were seen, such as family, cultivation, weather, and even war. -
1066 BCE
Who were they?
Anglo-Saxons were a group of warriors, who lived in Britain more than a thousand years ago.
Made up of three tribes that came from Europe, they were called the Angle, Saxon and Jute tribes. The two largest were the angle and the Saxon, which is how we know them today as Anglo-Saxons. -
1066 BCE
Who invaded after the Anglo-Saxons?
From 793AD, the Vikings invaded Anglo-Saxon Britain several times, plundering and raiding towns and villages along the British coastline. The Anglo-Saxons tried to hold them back but groups of Vikings eventually settled in different parts of the country, especially York (or Jorvik, as they named it) – making it the second biggest city after London. The next invasion came in 1066AD,