University of Oxford Department for Continuing Education From Civilisation To Barbarism?

1. University of Oxford Department for Continuing Education From Civilisation To Barbarism? Western Britain in the Early Middle Ages Tutor: Dr Kirsten Jarrett Week Five: Written Sources

2. Appraisal of written sources: key questions • When and where was the text written? • How long after the events described? • Who wrote the text? • Did the writer have direct experience? • Why did the author write the text? • Who was the intended audience? • In what form was the record made? • Are there changes between the original source and later copies?

3. Range of Written Sources • Civil and Military Surveys and Registers • Legal Texts • Poetry and panegyrics • Polemics: criticisms and disputes • Religious texts – e.g. defixiones, Bibles • Epistolae: ‘letters’ • ‘Ethnic’ histories and Geographies • Annales,Chronicaeand Historiae – narrative ‘histories’ • Hagiographies / Vitae: Saints’ ‘Lives’ • Memoriae: primarily stone inscriptions

4. Continental Written Sources: C5 • NotitiaDignitatumOccidentsAD 395-408 (revisions <AD 425) • Records bureaucratic and military offices in the western Roman Empire • ChronicaGallicaCCCCLII (AD 452) DXI (AD 511)(Monastic, Southern Gaul? C9 – 10 MS) • Records Saxon incursions (AD 410?) and conquest (c. AD 441?)

5. Vita Germanus, Constantius of Lyons, c. AD 480 • Records visits of Germanus (Bishop of Auxerre) to Britain to contest heresy, AD 429 and late 430s – early 440s • First visit: Germanus support s British troops against Picts and Saxons. Mentions “man of tribunician power” • Second visit: mentions regional leader • Epistola, SolliusApollinarisSidonius, AD 460’s/70’s (senatorial family - City prefect, Bishop of Clermont-Ferrand) • Letters mention King Riothamus of Britanni – Britons or Bretons

6. Continental Written Sources: C6 • Zosimus: Historia Nova (New History), early C6 (civil servant) • ‘Gallic revolution influenced by Britons’ (draws upon now lost work of Olympiodorus, published c. 425) • Mentions HonorianRescript • Gregory of Tours, History of the Franks, C 6 • References to usurper Constantine III and Constans

7. Procopius,mid C6 (civil servant) • HistoriaArcana (Secret History) • British ‘barbarians’ given diplomatic payments by Justinian • De Bello Gothico (GothicWars) • ‘Tyrants’ in Brettania(Britanny?) andBrittia(Britain) • Belesarius gives Britain to Goths in exchange for Sicily • Jordanes: Getia(Gothic History), AD 550 • Summarises Cassiodorus’ lost History

8. C7 Written Sources:Continental, Irish and Anglo-Saxon IsidorusHispalensis, EtymologiaeAD 620 IX, 2, 102: Legendary origins of Britons Laws of Ine: Wessex, late C7 - early C8

9. ‘British’ Written Sources • Patrick: C5 - NW Britain? • Epistola: letter to soldiers of (N?) British ‘tyrant’ Coroticus • Confessio: ‘autobiography’ • Gildas: De ExcidioBritannae, c. AD 500-550 (540?) • Epistola: pseudo-historical preface • complaints to kings and clergy (Admonitiuncula) • Fragmenta: fragments of letters (from Gildas?) • Poenitentia: penetential – ecclesiastical ‘rules’

10. Later Sources: Western Britain • AnnalesCambriae: C8-12 (first compiled AD 954?) - containing entries from AD 613 onwards? • LiberLandavensis: ‘Llandaff Charters’ – C8-12, possibly incorporating someearlier sections (contains references to mid C5)

11. Literary sources: ‘Praise poetry’ and mythologies [Week 6] • Legendary ‘biographies’ and Hagiographies: saints’ ‘lives’ - most C9-11+ (e.g. Gildas: monastery Rhuys, Brittany, C9+ & CaradocLlancarfan, C12) • Royal genealogies: Wales C9+? May claim descent from Adam, Jesus, or Roman emperors. Generational ‘telescoping’

12. Anglo-Saxon England and Ireland • HistoriaEcclesiaticaGentisAnglorumBede: AD 731, Mentions Angles, Saxons, Jutes – C8 interpretation • HistoriaBrittonum, ‘Nennius’: AD 829 / 30 • Anglo-Saxon Chronicle: late C9, Wessex • SanasChormaic: ‘Cormac’s Glossary’ – CormacmacCuilennáin, d. 908. • Refers to possible sites in Western Britain – C5-9 events? Entirely mythological?

13. Group ExerciseCritical Assessment of texts 1. What problems might we encounter when using textual evidence to study the Early Middle ages? 2. What social status might the authors have held; for whom may they written these texts; and why might they have been written? 3. What does the written evidence say about literacy and language? 4. What cultural changes and continuities from the Roman period might be detected from the texts of Gildas and Patrick? 5. Should we give precedence to historical evidence over the archaeology? How might we use different historical sources together? p. 20 Course Booklet: Handouts (Week 5A & B) &DEB

15. Nearly 500 inscribed stones in Western Britain c. 250 dating to before c. AD 700 Inscribed Stones Inscribed stones (black dot), with Irish names (red dot) and ogham (blue dot), with more possible early examples (black outline)

16. Yealmpton, Devon ←Early medieval Inscribed stones Often relocation to later churches Some use of prehistoric monoliths / ‘menhirs’? (Though different size / shape) But, examples associated with prehistoric (& later) barrows Variable degrees of ‘working’ – commonly rough pillars

17. Early post-Roman Inscribed Stones • Late C4 – C7+ (consensus = late C5-7) not necessarily ‘Christian monuments’ • Possible Gallic, Mediterranean and Roman (via Ireland) influence? Bilingual inscriptions: ogham and Latin • Boundary markers and grave memorials: lineage, land-ownership and status • Religious, ‘professional’ and cultural identity ‘PRESBYTER’, ‘EPISCOPUS’, ‘MAGISTER’, leadership

18. Common Latin formulae • ‘Of A of the son of B’ • FILI / FILIA (son / daughter of) – X son of Y • NOMINE (in the name of) – C6 Gaulish or Mediterranean influence • FECIT (made) • HIC IACIT (here lies) – after mid-late C5 (?), Gaulish (?) • IN HOC TUMULO / CONGERIES (within a tomb / stones) • MEMORIA / BONEMEMORI (in memory of / of good memory) – Gaulish influence (?)

19. Penmachno, Caernarfon Dating inscriptions CATAMANUS REX SAPIENTISSIMUS OPINATISSIMUS OMNIUM REGUM Catamanus wisest and most renowned of all kings Cadfan, ruler of Gwynedd, d. c AD 625: 613-29 [?] Llangadwaladr , Anglesey IN TE[M]PO[RE] IVSTI[NI] CON[SVLIS] …in the time of Justinus the Consul [?], c. AD540 [328- 650?]

20. ‘Angle-bar A’: c. AD 500+ (?) Gaulish influence (?) Late C5 + Demetia Linguistic changes

21. Early examples ←Tomen-y-mur,Trawsfynydd

22. Names and titles *tigernac- `land-owning, lordly’ *rix / rig - ‘king’ CATACUS HIC IACIT FILIVS TEGERNACVS TirGwenlli, Brecon / Brycheiniog ↑ TIGERNACI DOBAGNI ←Lllangwarren, Pemb. MEMORIA VOTEPORIGIS PROTICTORIS Voteporis the protector [ ‘Vortipor’?] CastellDwyran, Abernant, Carmarthen ↖

23. BONEMIMORI [F]ILLI TRIBVNIIn loving memory of the son of Tribunus Rialton, Corn. PRINCIPI FILIV[S] AVDETIPrincipius the son of Audentius Sourton, Devon 

24. Religious identity St Endellion, Corn. Penmachno

25. VIR QONFAL FILIVS VENNORCIT (My) husband Qonfal son of Vennorcit Madron, Corn. → Gender and relationships --]ORIA Penmachno ↑ CONSOBRINO Cousin → AVITORIA FILIA CVNIGNI  Avitoria daughter of Cunignus ← EglwysGymyn, Carnarfonshire

26. Changing Inscriptions PATERN[--] COLI AVI FICIT ARTOGNOU COL[I] FICIT Artognou, father of a descendant of Coll has had this made / Artognou descendant of Patern[us] Colus made (this). Colus made (this) Tintagel

27. Irish names MAQI (son of) CVNORIX MACVS MAQVI COLINE Cunorix son of MaquiColine Wroxeter Primitive Irish VLCAGNI FILI SEVERIUlcagnus son of Severus Nanscow, St Breock, Corn.

28. Inscribed stones (black dot), with Irish names (red dot) and ogham (blue dot), with more possible early examples (black outline) Distribution of Ogham Stones

29. Lewannick, Corn. Ogham

30. ←The lines that extend beyond the outline of the Stone represent the ogham strokes on the back of the stone Booklet p. 21-2

31. Group exercise

32. Inscriptions Exercise Key