The Anglo-Saxons abroad? Some AS finds from France,Switzerland+Africa(!) — new post by me :) http://www.caitlingreen.org/2016/05/anglo-saxon-finds-france-africa.html …pic.twitter.com/ZQmMgWrITP
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Poss travelled back along trade route that brought Indian/African items to 5-8thC England, eg amethyst, cowries etc?pic.twitter.com/Z8OviwYtdR
For what its worth, small number of finds may indicate carried to E Africa by Anglo-Saxon travellers, rather than indirectly as trade goods!
World map of Cosmas Indicopleustes of Alexandria, who travelled Red Sea+Indian Ocean in 6thC https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmas_Indicopleustes …pic.twitter.com/NoeTv5f2wr
For interest, further details of 'The World According to Cosmas Indicopleustes' & his claimed journeys etc – http://heiup.uni-heidelberg.de/journals/index.php/transcultural/article/download/6127/2980 …
@caitlinrgreen How that they could not understand that earth was spherical, when he could observe with telescope like instrument?
@VVedaprakash I think many people then thought it spherical but he had theological reasons for thinking otherwise...
@caitlinrgreen Yes, but there is chronological aspect to decide when they were believing that earth was flat and then spherical!
For interest, Chami's The Tanzanian Coast in the First Millennium AD (Uppsala, 1994), is available online here: https://www.uu.se/digitalAssets/32/32403_3chami.pdf … :)
Interestingly, Rhapta area produced ivory in Roman era, cf the 112+ elephant ivory rings found in 5-8thC England...pic.twitter.com/qE4OxZXzuu
(images=AS elephant ivory bag-ring, Staxton, E Yorks: http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/museumcollections/collections/search-results/display.php?irn=22025 … & Huggett, 'Imported grave goods': https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-769-1/dissemination/pdf/vol32/32_063_096.pdf …)
Do we count Anglo-Saxon Varangians as abroad? Or is that just a lad's holiday?
Yes, def! & in this context, cf. Late Saxon strap-end from Riurikovo Gorodishche, nr Novgorod, Russia, mentioned in post! :)
Isn't it amazing how big the world was back then? We're always told it was localized and small. Not so!
Was totally a Dark Age---we know nothing of it & was a cultural desert inhabited by ppl who went nowhere+ate mud etc etc ;)
True, true. ;).
This is exciting! Looks like ancient port of Rhapta has been found & is indeed in approx area where beads recovered!https://twitter.com/RomanMiddleEast/status/741548578875789312 …
More here: http://seaunseen.com/underwater-city-off-mafia-island-tanzania/ … Foundations c.3.7km long, wall c.5-6m high originally? Roman tile+pottery found!pic.twitter.com/JnwfbSgMV6
Coins found near Tanga, Tanzania, including a Byzantine coin of Heraclius (A.D. 610-641): http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/00672706609511349 …pic.twitter.com/yL4qoGdtmQ
and there was I scratching my head at why I had an AS bead like #2 in pic in Viking Dublin 10th c layer! Pales in comparison.
Oh, v interesting! Yes, they do seem to get around--also poss frag of Anglo-Saxon/Frankish claw beaker in E. Africa too...!
Yeah, not much written on AS interactions in Ireland, probably just picked up along the way as recycled market goods.
Possibly, although ASs on Iona in the second half of the 6thC; also lots of documentary evidence for high-status ASs there?
Ken Dark has also drawn attention to AS objects on Welsh & SW sites too... rare but definitely some!
Thanks for tipoff! Worth a write up for definite, if only just the beads. Not sure if any connection between Iona + Dublin..
Think so! :) Don't know on that one; I only mention as example of ASs in places on west coast/Atlantic province etc :)
For what it's worth, this poss of interest re: Anglo-Saxons in Ireland in early medieval era :) http://www.heroicage.org/issues/9/grimmer.html …
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