[lit-ideas] Re: Eastward Ho
- From: "Simon Ward" <sedward@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 3 Mar 2009 23:32:25 -0000
"Did they have a compass?"
Probably not. I'd even be categorical about it.
Here's the thing. If the South Saxons were brought in as mercenaries to
protect the civitate/kingdom ruled by some local magnate, then it would make
loads of sense to tell/show/teach those mercenaries the topography of the
landscape including the river systems and the road networks. It just so
happens that the principle South Saxon settlements in Sussex follow the road
network sufficiently to be able to conjecture that either they were 'placed'
at strategic point in the Kingdom, or that when they decided to expand they
used the road network as the routes of their advance.
The traditional view of South Saxon expansion has them landing at a western
peninsular (Selsey), defeat the local Brits and push them into the Weald,
occupy Chichester, then fight their way along the South Downs until they
finally beseiged the Roman fort at Pevensey. Trouble is, this view bears no
resemblance to the archaeology. There's no early Saxon remains so far
discovered in the vicinity of Selsey, no remains within the walls of
Chichester before the seventh century and, perhaps most telling, the fort at
Pevensey was continuously occupied from its inception right up to the middle
ages (while the Anglo Saxon Chronicle suggests that occupation was
terminated with prejudice).
So, excitingly perhaps, there's ample room to fit the evidence, quite
comfortbaly even, into an alternative scnario, perhaps utlising the
'Balkanisation Theory'. Local magnate, eager for expansion/protective of his
lands goes out and brings in a few boat loads of Germanic mercenaries,
places them first along the principle estuaries before settling them further
in the hinterlands north of the downs protecting the road network. He pays
them the necessary gold and grain while he can, but when this dries up and
when they become confident of their own abilities, there's a bit of
treacherous behaviour and they take over, bossing the locals who for the
most part just want to get on with their lives. Much later, when the time
comes to write the histories, this doesn't have the right kind of panache,
so boatloads of mercenaries become heroic invaders landing in a strange
hostile country and forced to fight for their very lives.
If that wasn't exciting enough (and perhaps it isn't for most sane people),
Sussex is such that the amateur can easily trace the route of the Roman Road
network, find likely crossing points and within an hour in a car be standing
on the very spot where a likely confrontation took place some 1,500 years
before. An hour later he might walk round the still standing walls at
Pevensey where there might not have been a siege, or maybe drive again for
another hour perhaps two and be at the other end of the Civitate, striding
round the walls of Chichester which probably wasn't taken by Aelle after he
didn't land at Selsey.
Or maybe he can find the Ambrosian Camps established after Badon....
The possibilities aren't endless and they're probably not that exciting
compared to Heidegger or Hegel, but I don't mind being sad, and you can
always blame JL, maybe even get him banned for prompting such a dirge.
Simon
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