Life before the minster: the social dynamics of monastic foundation at Anglo-Saxon Lyminge, Kent

Thomas, G. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0311-8218 (2013) Life before the minster: the social dynamics of monastic foundation at Anglo-Saxon Lyminge, Kent. Antiquaries Journal, 93. pp. 109-145. ISSN 1758-5309 doi: 10.1017/S0003581513000206

Abstract/Summary

Anglo-Saxon monastic archaeology has been constrained by the limited scale of past investigations and their overriding emphasis on core buildings. This paper draws upon the results of an ongoing campaign of archaeological research that is redressing the balance through an ambitious programme of open-area excavation at Lyminge, Kent, the site of a royal double monastery founded in the seventh century ad. The results of five completed fieldwork seasons are assessed and contextualised in a narrative sequence emphasising the dynamic character of Lyminge as an Anglo-Saxon monastic settlement. In so doing, the study brings into sharp focus how early medieval monasteries were emplaced in the landscape, with specific reference to Anglo-Saxon Kent, a regional context offering key insights into how the process of monastic foundation redefined antecedent central places of long-standing politico-religious significance and social action.

Additional Information	Due for publication September 2013
Item Type	Article
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/31300
Identification Number/DOI	10.1017/S0003581513000206
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Science > School of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Science > Social Archaeology Science > School of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Science > Department of Archaeology
Additional Information	Due for publication September 2013
Publisher	Society of Antiquaries of London
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