The Origins of the Anglo-Saxons: Decoding the Ancestry of the English

by: Jean Manco (Author)

Publisher: Thames and Hudson Ltd

Publication Date: 1 Aug. 2019

Language: English

Print Length: 240 pages

ISBN-10: 0500295433

ISBN-13: 9780500295434

Book Description

Who are the English? Their language and culture have had an impact on the mode world out of all proportion to the size of their homeland. But what do we really understand about their ancestry? Traditionally they have been seen as the descendants of those Germanic peoples who poured into Britain after the Roman legions departed, today known as the Anglo-Saxons. Alteative interpretations have questioned this picture, or suggested complications. At last, the astonishing progress made in extracting and analysing ancient DNA means that theories can be tested empirically, shedding new light on the movement and migrations of peoples in the past. Skilfully and accessibly blending together results from this cutting-edge DNA technology with new research from archaeology and linguistics, Jean Manco reveals a long and adventurous jouey before a word of English was spoken. Going beyond a narrow focus on the Anglo-Saxon period, she probes into the deep origins of the Germani and their kin, and extends the story to the language of Shakespeare, taken to the first British colony in America. The result is an exciting new history of the English people, and a ground-breaking analysis of their development.