History Teacher Notes The Literacy Key

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HOMEPAGE    HISTORY    GEOGRAPHY    R.E.

Anglo-Saxon Britain - Everyday Life

1. Anglo-Saxons made small settlements, usually consisting of three or four family farms.

2. They lived in timber buildings with sloping thatched roofs.

3. The buildings had one room in which people ate, cooked, slept and entertained.

4. The poorest Anglo-Saxon homes were round or rectangular huts, although the rich built elaborate halls.

5. They had central fires used for heat and cooking, with a smoke hole in the roof.

6. Candles, or pottery lamps using animal fat as fuel, provided the light.

7. Anglo-Saxons had little furniture and often shared homes with their animals.

8. Anglo-Saxons made their own household goods and cloth, using plants for dyes.

9. Anglo-Saxon men wore a robe, or tunic, made from linen or wool, with leggings or thin trousers.

10. Anglo-Saxon women wore a robe or dress, made from linen or wool, extending to the feet.

11. Over the top of this they wore a hood called a mantle.

12. Brooches were used to fix clothing by both rich and poor.

13. In cold weather both men and women would wear woollen cloaks.

14. Some Anglo-Saxons wore shoes or sandals, but others just wrapped their feet in woollen material.

15. Anglo-Saxon men hunted, farmed and fought and made household and farm equipment.

16. Anglo-Saxons ate what they grew which included wheat and rye, barley, oats, fruit and vegetables.

17. Their favourite pastimes were dice and board games, such as chess.

18. Riddles were also popular, as was horse racing and hunting

19. Anglo-Saxons enjoyed music, playing the harp or lyre, singing songs and telling stories as a form of entertainment.

20. A favourite Anglo-Saxon story was the story of Beowulf.

21. The king was the head of the social structure followed by two types of freemen, thanes and ceorls, then slaves.

22. People were either born a slave, became one after being captured in battle, or because they owed money.

23. Anglo-Saxons were pagans who worshipped gods of nature.

24. Saxon gods were: Tiw, Woden, Thor and Friya give us names: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.