The enigmatic remains of Baconsthorpe Castle in north-east Norfolk belie the story of a very grand fortified manor house. Owned by the Heydon family from the early 15th to the late 17th century, the house once comprised an inner moated enclosure, an outer court and gatehouse, a barn, mere and gardens and park. This report outlines the history of Baconsthorpe based on documentary and iconographic evidence, and archaeological investigations of the 1950s and, especially, the excavations of 1972. As well as an analysis of the standing remains and earthworks, this volume presents the artefactual evidence, including ceramics, metal objects, coins, glass, building material, sculpted stone, evidence for leatherworking and zoological remains.

This volume brings together the results of two evaluation and excavation projects undertaken by Oxford Archaeological Unit at Eynsham Abbey between 1991 and 1993. It reports on the medieval moated site and associated fishponds, the late Anglo-Saxon/medieval abbey, and finds, together with discussion.

The twenty-five papers, taken from a Cardiff conference in 1998, are concerned with Insular art in its broadest sense, encompassing studies of metalwork, manuscripts, sculpture and textiles, both recent discoveries and new investigations of well-known objects. They include material associated with Anglo-Saxon England as well as early Medieval Scotland, Wales and Ireland, and discoveries of Insular metalwork in Scandinavia. They are divided into five themes which reflect the many recent advances in the study of Insular art.

Reports of two church excavations, St Martin-at-Palace, Norwich and St Michael, Bowthorpe, undertaken prior to their re-building and re-use. The reports cover the earliest evidence for occupation of the site and the phases of re-building, repair and ruin (in the case of St Michael's) from the Anglo-Saxon period through to their present state.

This is another in the famous Knight series by the renowned medieval historian Ewart Oakeshott. Explore another fascinating dimension of medieval warfare in this engaging account of knights and their various kinds of armor. Oakeshott focuses on the armor of the later Middle Ages, from 1100 to 1500. He examines how armor developed, how craftsmen made the important garments, and he looks in detail at the different kinds of helmets and which were the best. He also looks at the other important aspects of a knight's armor and finishes up with a discussion of how the armor was worn. Along the way he dispels a number of myths about medieval armor. Originally published in 1961-and of interest to young and older readers-this updated and revised edition of A Knight and His Armor has an extensive and useful glossary. Accurately illustrated by the author, the book captures the wonder and magic of a past time. "Oakeshott here provides a detailed history of how armor developed, how and of what it was made, and how it was worn." - Library Journal

An exploration of the links between the languages, cultures and traditions of the Celtic peoples of Ireland and Britain through an analysis of literary sources, place or people names and the Gaelic language. Twenty-six English, Gaelic or French essays, include extracts from Celtic texts, accompanied by detailed commentaries, and comparisons between these three main areas of influence.

Take an engaging journey back in time, when battles were fought with swords, lances, maces, and an array of well-crafted devices that could be elegant and ornate, brutal and efficient, or both. This accessible, lively, and informative book explores many facets of the medieval world of weaponry. Did you know, for instance, that in the fifteenth century "fight books" with drawings guided knights in the proper use of weapons? That the average medieval warrior became a full-fledged fighter by the time he was fifteen years old? Or that armor made by a master could, by modern standards, cost the price of a Rolls Royce?

^Aby Beric Morley and David Gurney ^DThis book starts with a wide-ranging overview of Castle Rising, going on to review the archaeological evidence, in conjunction with comment on the archaeological explorations themselves, for the site from prehistoric times up to the post-medieval period. Three chapters are devoted to finds, including coins, building materials, pottery and zoological evidence. The development of the main building and its surrounds is fully documented, and the entire text is amply supplemented by illustrations.

Nineteen papers on early medieval Irish and Welsh texts. Contents include: St Patrick in Cornwall? The origin and transmission of Vita Tertia S. Patricii ( David Dumville ); Re-reading Dafydd ap Gwilym ( Patrick Ford ); The spoils of Annwn: Taliesin and material poetry ( Sarah Lynn Higley ); Aldfirth of Northumbria and the learning of a sapiens ( Colin Ireland ); Narrative openers and progress markers in Irish ( Proinsias Mac Cana ); The Hagiographic poetics of Canu Cadfan ( Catherine McKenna ); The introduction of alphabetic writing to Ireland ( Michael Richter ); Daring young men in their chariots ( Joseph Falaky Nagy ); The Celtic bard ( J. E. Caerwyn Bard ).

Do you know why the circular stairs in castles ascended clockwise? Have you ever wondered where the toilets were, or how they worked? Do you know what the best way to attack a castle was? Can you guess why hundreds of pigs would be slaughtered in order to conquer a castle? Ewart Oakeshott knows, and you will too when you finish this book. He is the foremost authority on Medieval weaponry, and in this book he provides a lively and informative history of Europe's castles. Superbly illustrated by the author, he traces the design, building, and defense of castles throughout the Middle Ages, and explores the castle armory, daily life, the training of boys to become knights (including their lessons in both the arts of warfare and courtly behavior), sieges, and favorite pastimes such as hunting and hawking. "This delightful little work does admirably what it sets out to do..So well done that it deserves a place in the library purely as an elementary work of reference." - School Librarian

Ships and shipbuilding were important elements of Viking culture and a precondition for trade, warfare and conquest. The important excavations at the Viking towns of Hedeby and Schleswig-Holstein revealed a rich body of finds of wrecks and parts of ships. This is a report on this material and also examines the role of the towns as ports and the role of trading in their development.

A hoard of coins of the shadowy East Anglian King Beonna triggered off a project which revealed not only late Neolithic activity but also a Viking burial and a small part of a rural settlement of the 8th to 13th centuries AD. Saturation coverage by metal detector at all stages of the work produced a large assemblage of metal objects which suggests that the 'normal' quantity and range of finds collected from conventionally excavated sites may often fall short of the true population.

This is the first of a number of volumes describing the 1980-86 excavations at the early medieval Benedictine abbey of San Vincenzo al Volturno in central Italy. This volume gives a general introduction to this important project, a description of the archaeological remains, and then detailed accounts of the excavation of the Carolingian Crypt Church, the `South Church', the Refectory, the Garden Court and the Entrance Hall. Also included is a reappraisal of the cycle of paintings in the crypt in the light of the excavations.

The brief title doesn't really reflect the wealth of information in the three reports in this book. Arising from the British School at Rome's archaeological survey in southern Etruria between 1950 and 1975, they provide important evidence for the transition years between Roman and Medieval. Santa Cornelia, the abandoned site of a medieval monastic seat built from and among the remains of Roman buildings, yielded detailed information about the background, origins and development of the monastery; at Santa Rufina, the traditional site of the burial and centre of the cult of the third century martyr Rufina, excavations revealed a chapel, defensive walls, piazza and timber huts, part of a medieval settlement, overlying a late Roman mausoleum and catacombs, and earlier buildings; at San Liberato the fabric of the surviving church is recorded and analysed to determine its history and development from the early Middle Ages. All reports carry full accounts of the finds, sculptures and inscriptions.