Thegns of Mercia
@thegns.bsky.social
Sending Britain back to the “Dark Ages”.
A not-for-profit educational living-history group dedicated to promoting interest in, and celebrating the diverse cultures of late-antiquity / early medieval lowland Britain / the broadest-sense ‘Anglo-Saxon’ period
A not-for-profit educational living-history group dedicated to promoting interest in, and celebrating the diverse cultures of late-antiquity / early medieval lowland Britain / the broadest-sense ‘Anglo-Saxon’ period
Child’s Silver Neck-Ring (c6th) — a simple symbol of status, or something darker? #findsfridsy
This neck ring was found in the burial of a child in the piecemeal-excavated early #AngloSaxon cemetery at Ruskington Lincolnshire. (Displayed at Lincoln Museum).
Rare #archaeology finds, such collars…
This neck ring was found in the burial of a child in the piecemeal-excavated early #AngloSaxon cemetery at Ruskington Lincolnshire. (Displayed at Lincoln Museum).
Rare #archaeology finds, such collars…
September 26, 2025 at 10:38 AM
Child’s Silver Neck-Ring (c6th) — a simple symbol of status, or something darker? #findsfridsy
This neck ring was found in the burial of a child in the piecemeal-excavated early #AngloSaxon cemetery at Ruskington Lincolnshire. (Displayed at Lincoln Museum).
Rare #archaeology finds, such collars…
This neck ring was found in the burial of a child in the piecemeal-excavated early #AngloSaxon cemetery at Ruskington Lincolnshire. (Displayed at Lincoln Museum).
Rare #archaeology finds, such collars…
A princely belt from early C7th Kent — thanks to member Phil Ratcliffe.
Replica of the Faversham buckle (found in c19th & displayed in the British Museum @britishmuseum.bsky.social) by Danegeld Historic Jewellery. Belt by member @aedthompson.bsky.social woven from plant dyed wools, on leather.
Replica of the Faversham buckle (found in c19th & displayed in the British Museum @britishmuseum.bsky.social) by Danegeld Historic Jewellery. Belt by member @aedthompson.bsky.social woven from plant dyed wools, on leather.
September 10, 2025 at 1:18 PM
A princely belt from early C7th Kent — thanks to member Phil Ratcliffe.
Replica of the Faversham buckle (found in c19th & displayed in the British Museum @britishmuseum.bsky.social) by Danegeld Historic Jewellery. Belt by member @aedthompson.bsky.social woven from plant dyed wools, on leather.
Replica of the Faversham buckle (found in c19th & displayed in the British Museum @britishmuseum.bsky.social) by Danegeld Historic Jewellery. Belt by member @aedthompson.bsky.social woven from plant dyed wools, on leather.
7-8th century Anglo-Saxon priest (team member James Wenn). “Dalmatic” by Æd Thompson.
Previously we shared the foundations of James’ work to reconstruct a plausible image of the Gregorian missionaries and first bishops of the Anglo-Saxon church whose deeds are well documented but… 🧵
Previously we shared the foundations of James’ work to reconstruct a plausible image of the Gregorian missionaries and first bishops of the Anglo-Saxon church whose deeds are well documented but… 🧵
May 24, 2025 at 12:26 PM
7-8th century Anglo-Saxon priest (team member James Wenn). “Dalmatic” by Æd Thompson.
Previously we shared the foundations of James’ work to reconstruct a plausible image of the Gregorian missionaries and first bishops of the Anglo-Saxon church whose deeds are well documented but… 🧵
Previously we shared the foundations of James’ work to reconstruct a plausible image of the Gregorian missionaries and first bishops of the Anglo-Saxon church whose deeds are well documented but… 🧵
One-piece shoes by member Marc Smith based upon the 3rd-4th century shoes found at Obenaltendorf, Germany in 1895. Shoes of this type — represented by many finds from anaerobic bogs (so sometimes called “bog shoes”) — were used across Europe during the #IronAge & #MigrationPeriod…
May 8, 2025 at 12:16 PM
One-piece shoes by member Marc Smith based upon the 3rd-4th century shoes found at Obenaltendorf, Germany in 1895. Shoes of this type — represented by many finds from anaerobic bogs (so sometimes called “bog shoes”) — were used across Europe during the #IronAge & #MigrationPeriod…
Sheath for a 7th century broadseax; a project by member Matthijs Demedts, inspired by various finds but particularly Dover Buckland grave 93. Cast rivets (Tattershall Thorpe and Shrubland Hall Coddenham) by Andrew Mason. 🧵
April 19, 2025 at 1:20 PM
Sheath for a 7th century broadseax; a project by member Matthijs Demedts, inspired by various finds but particularly Dover Buckland grave 93. Cast rivets (Tattershall Thorpe and Shrubland Hall Coddenham) by Andrew Mason. 🧵
Thegns of Mercia at Sutton Hoo in summer 2024; we will return in spring 2025! (Date to be announced). Pictured; members Æd and Andrew Thompson, photo credit: AHLewis.
#earlymedieval #medieval #anglosaxon (cooler than #viking #vikings) #migrationperiod #livinghistory #archaeology #reenactment
#earlymedieval #medieval #anglosaxon (cooler than #viking #vikings) #migrationperiod #livinghistory #archaeology #reenactment
February 27, 2025 at 1:50 PM
Thegns of Mercia at Sutton Hoo in summer 2024; we will return in spring 2025! (Date to be announced). Pictured; members Æd and Andrew Thompson, photo credit: AHLewis.
#earlymedieval #medieval #anglosaxon (cooler than #viking #vikings) #migrationperiod #livinghistory #archaeology #reenactment
#earlymedieval #medieval #anglosaxon (cooler than #viking #vikings) #migrationperiod #livinghistory #archaeology #reenactment
Reposted by Thegns of Mercia
Dr Sue Brunning; curator of the European Early Medieval Collections in the Department of Britain, Europe and Prehistory at The British Museum will be visiting Lichfield Cathedral on Wed 29th Jan to present 'Silk Roads'. To book please visit www.lichfield-cathedral.org/what-s-on/wh...
January 21, 2025 at 12:51 PM
Dr Sue Brunning; curator of the European Early Medieval Collections in the Department of Britain, Europe and Prehistory at The British Museum will be visiting Lichfield Cathedral on Wed 29th Jan to present 'Silk Roads'. To book please visit www.lichfield-cathedral.org/what-s-on/wh...
Reposted by Thegns of Mercia
Way ahead of you (ft. @thegns.bsky.social )
January 19, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Way ahead of you (ft. @thegns.bsky.social )
Proud to announce that work by Thegns of Mercia members has featured in the British Museum’s innovative ‘Silk Roads’ temporary exhibition, which shares our goal of promoting awareness of the cultural richness, diversity and interconnectedness of the early medieval world. …🧵
December 21, 2024 at 4:31 PM
Proud to announce that work by Thegns of Mercia members has featured in the British Museum’s innovative ‘Silk Roads’ temporary exhibition, which shares our goal of promoting awareness of the cultural richness, diversity and interconnectedness of the early medieval world. …🧵
The festive season approaches! How did folk in #earlymedieval Britain mark this time of year? What kinds of festivities took place & how did they change during the long Anglo-Saxon period?
Find out more at www.thegns.org/blog/yule
(Article by Æd Thompson, for Sutton Hoo’s #Yule exhibition)
Find out more at www.thegns.org/blog/yule
(Article by Æd Thompson, for Sutton Hoo’s #Yule exhibition)
December 16, 2024 at 1:46 PM
The festive season approaches! How did folk in #earlymedieval Britain mark this time of year? What kinds of festivities took place & how did they change during the long Anglo-Saxon period?
Find out more at www.thegns.org/blog/yule
(Article by Æd Thompson, for Sutton Hoo’s #Yule exhibition)
Find out more at www.thegns.org/blog/yule
(Article by Æd Thompson, for Sutton Hoo’s #Yule exhibition)
Reposted by Thegns of Mercia
Made with the help of Andrew Mason and now part of the @thegns.bsky.social Thegns of Mercia collection, for educational display, exploring craftsmanship, art and identity in late antiquity - early medieval central Britain.
November 28, 2024 at 2:26 PM
Made with the help of Andrew Mason and now part of the @thegns.bsky.social Thegns of Mercia collection, for educational display, exploring craftsmanship, art and identity in late antiquity - early medieval central Britain.
Reposted by Thegns of Mercia
Some shiny things I made last year. #archaeology #livinghistory #handmade #craft #jewellery #medievalart
November 28, 2024 at 2:16 PM
Some shiny things I made last year. #archaeology #livinghistory #handmade #craft #jewellery #medievalart
The Taplow Lyre (c6-7th); replica by member Æd Thompson.
One of 12 such lyres (so far) found in early Anglo-Saxon graves, this example uniquely features horn veneers & silver pins on the yoke, placing its tuning pegs within a representation of the night sky.
#archaeology #livinghistory #medieval
One of 12 such lyres (so far) found in early Anglo-Saxon graves, this example uniquely features horn veneers & silver pins on the yoke, placing its tuning pegs within a representation of the night sky.
#archaeology #livinghistory #medieval
November 22, 2024 at 6:47 PM
The Taplow Lyre (c6-7th); replica by member Æd Thompson.
One of 12 such lyres (so far) found in early Anglo-Saxon graves, this example uniquely features horn veneers & silver pins on the yoke, placing its tuning pegs within a representation of the night sky.
#archaeology #livinghistory #medieval
One of 12 such lyres (so far) found in early Anglo-Saxon graves, this example uniquely features horn veneers & silver pins on the yoke, placing its tuning pegs within a representation of the night sky.
#archaeology #livinghistory #medieval
Reposted by Thegns of Mercia
My 📷 of the Govan Warrior, a name I coined, found in the early medieval churchyard surrounding the @govanstones.bsky.social
museum in Govan Old.
Note the shallow carving, making it more like Pictish carvings than the heavier relief produced in the Brittonic Viking-Age Kingdom of Strathclyde.
museum in Govan Old.
Note the shallow carving, making it more like Pictish carvings than the heavier relief produced in the Brittonic Viking-Age Kingdom of Strathclyde.
November 21, 2024 at 4:53 PM
My 📷 of the Govan Warrior, a name I coined, found in the early medieval churchyard surrounding the @govanstones.bsky.social
museum in Govan Old.
Note the shallow carving, making it more like Pictish carvings than the heavier relief produced in the Brittonic Viking-Age Kingdom of Strathclyde.
museum in Govan Old.
Note the shallow carving, making it more like Pictish carvings than the heavier relief produced in the Brittonic Viking-Age Kingdom of Strathclyde.
Reposted by Thegns of Mercia
But did we really suddenly invade, did we arrive gradually or were we actually already here all along? The truth is much more complicated.
… And now with this much bigger character limit we can outline how, in reality, evidence including archaeoDNA meta-analysis shows we were a diverse mixture of…
… And now with this much bigger character limit we can outline how, in reality, evidence including archaeoDNA meta-analysis shows we were a diverse mixture of…
November 18, 2024 at 7:06 PM
But did we really suddenly invade, did we arrive gradually or were we actually already here all along? The truth is much more complicated.
… And now with this much bigger character limit we can outline how, in reality, evidence including archaeoDNA meta-analysis shows we were a diverse mixture of…
… And now with this much bigger character limit we can outline how, in reality, evidence including archaeoDNA meta-analysis shows we were a diverse mixture of…
Reposted by Thegns of Mercia
We were in that other place, and now we’re suddenly over here, making inroads, establishing ourselves, forming community networks.
Reminds us of the Migration Period.
#medieval #archaeology
Reminds us of the Migration Period.
#medieval #archaeology
November 18, 2024 at 7:00 PM
We were in that other place, and now we’re suddenly over here, making inroads, establishing ourselves, forming community networks.
Reminds us of the Migration Period.
#medieval #archaeology
Reminds us of the Migration Period.
#medieval #archaeology
Reposted by Thegns of Mercia
One of the outrageously important runic inscriptions on the Viking-style Galloway Hoard, deposited c. 900 in what is now SW Scotland.
The exciting kicker is that the runes are ANGLIAN, not Old Norse, likely made by an Anglo-Saxon Northumbrian.
My images from the Treasure Trove in Scotland viewing.
The exciting kicker is that the runes are ANGLIAN, not Old Norse, likely made by an Anglo-Saxon Northumbrian.
My images from the Treasure Trove in Scotland viewing.
November 18, 2024 at 1:00 PM
One of the outrageously important runic inscriptions on the Viking-style Galloway Hoard, deposited c. 900 in what is now SW Scotland.
The exciting kicker is that the runes are ANGLIAN, not Old Norse, likely made by an Anglo-Saxon Northumbrian.
My images from the Treasure Trove in Scotland viewing.
The exciting kicker is that the runes are ANGLIAN, not Old Norse, likely made by an Anglo-Saxon Northumbrian.
My images from the Treasure Trove in Scotland viewing.
Broadly speaking, no two #earlymedieval #archaeology finds are precisely the same.
Be like your predecessors — dare to be different.
Be like your predecessors — dare to be different.
November 18, 2024 at 8:14 PM
Broadly speaking, no two #earlymedieval #archaeology finds are precisely the same.
Be like your predecessors — dare to be different.
Be like your predecessors — dare to be different.
But did we really suddenly invade, did we arrive gradually or were we actually already here all along? The truth is much more complicated.
… And now with this much bigger character limit we can outline how, in reality, evidence including archaeoDNA meta-analysis shows we were a diverse mixture of…
… And now with this much bigger character limit we can outline how, in reality, evidence including archaeoDNA meta-analysis shows we were a diverse mixture of…
November 18, 2024 at 7:06 PM
But did we really suddenly invade, did we arrive gradually or were we actually already here all along? The truth is much more complicated.
… And now with this much bigger character limit we can outline how, in reality, evidence including archaeoDNA meta-analysis shows we were a diverse mixture of…
… And now with this much bigger character limit we can outline how, in reality, evidence including archaeoDNA meta-analysis shows we were a diverse mixture of…
We were in that other place, and now we’re suddenly over here, making inroads, establishing ourselves, forming community networks.
Reminds us of the Migration Period.
#medieval #archaeology
Reminds us of the Migration Period.
#medieval #archaeology
November 18, 2024 at 7:00 PM
We were in that other place, and now we’re suddenly over here, making inroads, establishing ourselves, forming community networks.
Reminds us of the Migration Period.
#medieval #archaeology
Reminds us of the Migration Period.
#medieval #archaeology
Reposted by Thegns of Mercia
Anglo-Saxon Discoveries Unearthed in England During Wind Farm Project https://www.medievalists.net/2024/09/anglo-saxon-discoveries-unearthed-in-england-during-wind-farm-project/ #archaeology #England
Anglo-Saxon Discoveries Unearthed in England During Wind Farm Project - Medievalists.net
Archaeologists working on the Dogger Bank Wind Farm project in England have made remarkable early medieval discoveries, shedding new light on Anglo-Saxon life in the Holderness region. These…
www.medievalists.net
September 26, 2024 at 5:50 PM
Anglo-Saxon Discoveries Unearthed in England During Wind Farm Project https://www.medievalists.net/2024/09/anglo-saxon-discoveries-unearthed-in-england-during-wind-farm-project/ #archaeology #England