Beyond the Burghal Hidage takes the study of Anglo-Saxon civil defence away from traditional historical and archaeological fields, and uses a groundbreaking interdisciplinary approach to examine warfare and public responses to organised violence through their impact on the landscape.

List of Figures and Tables ... vii Preface. ... xiii Abbreviations. ... xvii 1. Anglo-Saxon Civil Defence: Theory and Historical Context ... 1 Introduction: Why Study Civil Defence? ... 1 A Place for Civil Defence in State-Formation Theory ... 8 Previous Work ... 12 Historical Overview ... 15 Beyond the Burghal Hidage ... 30 Terminology ... 37 2. Characterizing Anglo-Saxon Civil Defence (Fortifications) ... 43 Introduction: Archaeological Correlates for Militarism ... 43 Middle Anglo-Saxon Defensive Sites ... 49 Archaeological Evidence for Burghal Hidage Sites ... 64 Naming Anglo-Saxon Strongholds ... 90 Minor Defended Sites, Burgates, Turriform Churches, and Anglo-Saxon Towers ... 106 Discussion ... 117 Conclusions ... 134 3. Characterizing Anglo-Saxon Civil Defence (Communications) ... 137 Introduction...137 Infrastructure and Communications...140 Information...179 The Venues of Warfare ... 199 Discussion ... 209 4. The Kennet...215 Introduction...215 Defensive Sites of the Kennet Region...225 Roads and Intervisibility ... 249 Discussion ... 262 5. Connections and Obstructions: The Thames in Anglo-Saxon Military Strategy ... 269 Introduction...269 The Strategic Landscape of the Thames ... 281 Discussion ... 322 Conclusion: The Development of the Thames System ... 327 6. The Defence of Kent ... 335 Introduction...335 The Evidence for Civil Defence ... 346 Discussion ... 369 Conclusions and Wider Implications ... 377 7. Civil Defence and the English State, 800-1016 ... 381 Introduction ... 381 Civil Defence: Strategy, Territoriality, and Royal Authority ... 381 Wider Implications ... 417 Bibliography ... 427 Index ... 467