Old English Resources

The Anglo-Saxon period began with the appearance of Angles, Saxons, and Jutes in Britain some times around 500 AD, after the fall of the Roman Empire. It was an eventful period, with changes in language and culture developing as the newcomers settled in.

The period ended after the Battle of Hastings in 1066 AD, when Normans began their conquest of the island.

The Anglo-Saxons spoke various dialects of the Germanic language we now call Old English, the direct ancester of the English we speak today. They had a strong story-telling tradition and strong poetic conventions, which we know through the manuscripts that remain. Written Old English had several characters that do not exist in modern English. These links are helpful in understanding Old English:

Overview of the Old English language
Audio of Old English poems
Bright's Anglo-Saxon Reader is an excellent primer of Old English.
Another textbook for learning OE
Old English dictionary
Exercises to learn Old English
Fonts with Old English characters
B. Slade’s edition and translation of Beowulf, on facing pages. The site also includes text of other Old English Poems (The Fight at Finnsburh, Waldere, Deor, Woden's Nine Herbs Charm, Bede's Account of Cædmon) and background information about Old English poetry.
Audio sections of Beowulf read in Old English from the University of Virginia
Complete texts of all Old English poems, but no translation

The Anglo-Saxons had a complex social system, a long and intricate history, and a rich physical culture. These links are helpful in understanding Anglo-Saxon history and culture:

Dating the appearance of Angles, Saxons, and Jutes in Britain
An overview of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in translation
A different version of the Chronicle
Events in Anglo-Saxon history
Bede’s World museum
Anglo-Saxon items at the British Museum
Maps of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms
Anglo-Saxon coins
The Sutton Hoo hoard at the British Museum
Anglo-Saxon recipes

Anglo-Saxon life was so different from modern life that it sometimes seems to be the stuff of legend. Luckily, we can understand the Anglo-Saxons quite well through studying their language and artifacts. They left a rich legacy to explore.