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A carefully contextualized reading of the four surviving Anglo-Saxon law codes issued in the seventh century, three from Kent and one from Wessex, shows the body of legislation they contain to be coherent and practical, and to support subtle insights into social relationships, processes of social change, and areas of social stress in that period. The importance of archaeological evidence, in particular that concerning the use and significance of materials and artefacts, and developments in settlement structures and the overall settlement pattern, is particularly emphasized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aylett Sammes' Britannia Antiqua Illustrata, a tall folio of some 600 pages, aims to fill a gap by collecting all the then available information on early Britain. All relevant writers pass review, and the historical starting-point is Noah's Flood. The first settlers must have been the Phoenicians, then come the Greeks, and at last the British, the Romans and, on p. 350, the Saxons. The history of the Saxon kings begins on p. 389 and concludes the book. Its historical value today is nil, but even so it has its interests, which include a fascinating set of illustrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]