Rethinking the Dark Age: the multiple voices of early medieval Britain

Abstract

• What do you picture when you think of the Dark Age. The common perception the phrase conjures is simple living and hardship. However, the sheer number of inscribed objects from this period paint another picture. Through new research methods, we are uncovering the multiple voices of early medieval Britain and evidence of a multi-lingual, even multi-literate society. There are big questions relevant to our early medieval collections, and one that has animated me since I began here last year is the evidence for literacy.