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Articles

The Development of Late-Saxon Christchurch, Dorset, and the Burghal Hidage

Pages 95-118 | Published online: 18 Jul 2013
 

Abstract

Advances in the understanding of the Anglo-Saxon burh in the last 25 years, a reassessment of the date and context of the Burghal Hidage and a recent analysis of comparable archaeological evidence from Cricklade make it necessary to review the archaeological evidence of the defences of the late-Saxon burh at Christchurch. This enables a reconstruction of the urban landscape, which in turn allows a new view of the significance of hidage assessments in the Burghal Hidage for all the burhs in the system it describes. It also places the development of Christchurch in the context of that of other burhs in Wessex and southern Mercia, and throws a new light on general historical processes in the 9th to the early 11th centuries.

Advances in the understanding of the Anglo-Saxon burh in the last 25 years, a reassessment of the date and context of the Burghal Hidage and a recent analysis of comparable archaeological evidence from Cricklade make it necessary to review the archaeological evidence of the defences of the late-Saxon burh at Christchurch. This enables a reconstruction of the urban landscape, which in turn allows a new view of the significance of hidage assessments in the Burghal Hidage for all the burhs in the system it describes. It also places the development of Christchurch in the context of that of other burhs in Wessex and southern Mercia, and throws a new light on general historical processes in the 9th to the early 11th centuries.

Les débuts du développement de Christchurch dans le Dorset à l'époque saxonne tardive et le Burghal Hidage

Au vu des avancées réalisées au cours des 25 dernières années dans l'étude du burh (ville fortifiée) anglo-saxon, d'une réévaluation de la date et du contexte du Burghal Hidage et d'une récente analyse de données archéologiques comparables provenant de Cricklade, il est nécessaire de procéder à un nouvel examen des données archéologiques des défenses du burh de l'époque saxonne tardive de Christchurch. En reconstituant le paysage urbain, il est alors possible de reconsidérer la portée des calculs de surface imposable du Burghal Hidage pour tous les burhs du système qu'il décrit. Cela permet également de comparer en contexte le développement de Christchurch à celui d'autres burhs du Wessex et de la Mercie méridionale, et de voir sous un jour nouveau les processus historiques généraux du IXe au début du XIe siècle.

Die frühe Entwicklung des spät-angelsächsischen Christchurch, Dorset, und das Burghal Hidage

Nach den Fortschritten im Verständnis des angelsächsischen burh in den letzten 25 Jahren, einer Neubewertung des Burghal Hidage und einer neueren Analyse vergleichbarer archäologischer Beweisstücke aus Cricklade wurde eine Neubeurteilung der archäologischen Beweisstücke der Verteidigungsanlagen des spät-angelsächsischen burh in Christchurch notwendig. Dadurch wurde eine Rekonstruktion der städtischen Landschaft möglich, die wiederum einen neuen Blick auf die Bedeutung der hidage-Bewertungen im Burghal Hidage für alle dort beschriebenen burhs im System ermöglicht. Die Entwicklung von Christchurch wird auch in den Zusammenhang mit der der anderen burhs in Wessex und Süd-Mercia gesetzt und wirft neues Licht auf allgemeine historische Vorgänge vom 9. bis zum frühen 11. Jahrhundert.

Gli inizi del burh tardo sassone di Christchurch in Dorset e il Burghal Hidage

Le nuove conoscenze sul burh (città fortificata) anglosassone acquisite negli ultimi 25 anni, una revisione della cronologia e del contesto del Burghal Hidage (elenco delle città fortificate) e un'analisi recente di testimonianze archeologiche analoghe rilevate a Cricklade, hanno reso necessario rivedere la documentazione archeologica delle difese del burh di Christchurch nel tardo periodo sassone. Questo permette di ricostruire il paesaggio urbano, e quindi interpretare in modo nuovo il significato delle stime catastali del Burghal Hidage per tutti i burh del sistema che descrive. Questa revisione permette inoltre di confrontare lo sviluppo di Christchurch nel contesto di altri burh del Wessex e della Mercia meridionale e arricchisce di nuove conoscenze il panorama generale dei processi storici del periodo che va dal IX agli inizi dell'XI secolo.

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