Society of Antiquaries of London (2024) h/b 470pp £50 (ISBN 9780854313075)
The period following the fall of Rome (often called the migration period) is of interest to many classicists. What state did Rome leave the world in? How did people adapt to the new order and what did they make of their Roman heritage? This book, which is focused on East Anglia, provides some of the answers.
Rendlesham was a rural centre with administrative functions during the Roman period. Interestingly, it retained this role through the turmoil of the fifth century and into the medieval period. There is now good evidence that Rendlesham was the seat of Raedwald, king of the East Angles c. 599-624. Raedwald was probably the occupant of the Great Ship Burial at Sutton Hoo, just four miles away. In a famous passage Bede refers to Rendlesham as the place of a christening later in the seventh century. He tells us that the baptism took place in provincia Orientalium Anglorum, in vico regio qui dicitur Rendlaesham, id est, Mansio Rendili—in the kingdom of the East Angles in the royal settlement which is called Rendlesham, i.e. the residence of Rendil (Ecclesiastical History of the English Nation III 22). It has thus long been known that Rendlesham was a site which merited proper investigation. Rendlesham has been the subject of antiquarian interest since the eighteenth century.
In 2017-2021 a major project was undertaken to investigate the Rendlesham site. Christopher Scull, the lead editor of this book, was the Principal Investigator. The investigation began with a meticulous metal-detector survey by four detectorists, to whom the book is dedicated. Surveys then followed using magnetometry, excavation and ground-penetrating radar. This book is the final report of the project. It is the work of the three editors and a team of specialist contributors.
One of the most significant discoveries was the foundations of a great hall, 23 metres long and 9.5 metres wide. It would have been part of a great hall complex, comprising many timber structures. This is where Raedwald would have held court, no doubt with much feasting. ‘Dry January’ was not a feature of the Anglo-Saxon calendar.
Chapter 3 contains a full account of the material culture revealed from the Bronze Age through to 1700, with an emphasis on the Roman and medieval periods. The Roman finds included brooches, bracelets, finger rings and a variety of military equipment. The coloured plans at figure 2.4.9 (page 68) show a very similar distribution of finds from both the Roman period and the early medieval period. A total of 993 Roman coins were recovered, mostly from two dispersed hoards (pages 126-127). After our break from Rome, the British economy ceased to be monetised, and barter became the basis of trading. But not for long in East Anglia. There is strong circumstantial evidence that Rendlesham started producing coins in the early Anglo-Saxon period. Pages 195-196 include pictures of early coins minted in East Anglia. That would be consistent with Rendlesham’s status as a royal powerbase.
Overall, this survey revealed that there were three peaks of activity at Rendlesham: 50 BC-AD 100 (late Iron Age-early Roman period), 450-700 (early to middle Anglo-Saxon period), and 1300-1400.
This book is much more than an account of an archaeological investigation. Chapters 1 and 11 set the finds in their wider context. Rendlesham was an important centre from the first half of the fifth century onwards. As the authors state, ‘the royal establishment was founded at a place that had already been a significant settlement focus for a century and a half’. One theme of this book is continuity from the late Roman period into the medieval era.
Chapter 5 explains that Rendlesham would have been a permanent centre for administration and surplus extraction. The great hall complex must have required full time staff to maintain the operation and to cater for periodic visits by a peripatetic magnate household. In those days kings and nobles tended to rotate around their domains, exploiting the available resources. The set-up at Rendlesham was typical of the new social order which emerged after the Romans packed their bags and went home in the early fifth century.
For some classicists, history stops being interesting in AD 410, when the Goths sacked Rome and Britain dropped out of the Empire. But for those who want to understand the legacy of Roman imperialism, and how people organised themselves in the post-Roman period, this book has much to offer. It is beautifully illustrated, with an abundance of plans, maps and tables.
Rupert Jackson