BEFORE ENGLAND
1. LOS CELTAS Y LOS ROMANOS
The first humans in the British Isles were hunters who travelled the tundra land in the last
interglacial period. The British Isles were probably invaded by the Indo-Europeans.
"The Bronze Age" was inaugurated by the invaders of France and the Low Countries in the
second millennium. The Celts were the new invaders who came to the islands in several
waves. These had two languages: Brythonic and Goidelic. Their religion was druidism.
In 55 BC, Ceasar made raids in Britain and in 43 AD Claudius conquered Britain and
incorporated it into the Roman Empire. The population of the city were converted to Latin
both in terms of culture and language, on the rural areas of the city the Celtic language
remained.
After Christianity became the official religion, St Patrick took Christianity to Ireland.
Roman rule in the Celts was weakened, the wall made by Emperor Hadrian broke and the
Picts descended southward. The Scots of Ireland attacked across the sea and there were
incursions of Germanic tribes. To all this, the Romans left Great Britain leaving it at their
mercy. The Celts hired Anglo, Saxon and Jute mercenaries to fight the Picts and the Scots
in exchange for land. After winning, the mercenaries (the Angles) settled on the island.
2. THE CHRISTIAN AND GERMANIC CONTRIBUTION
St. Aidan, arrived in Northumbria and founded a monastery in Lindisfarne. The Anglo-
Saxons have absorbed words from Latin thanks to the exchange with the Roman
merchants. The Celts were forced to the edges of the island, some went to Christian Ireland
and the French coast. The Jutes settled in Kent and the Anglo-Saxons formed what is called
Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy, seven independent kingdoms: Essex, Sussex, Wessex, Kent,
East Anglia, Mercia and Northumbria. St. Agustine went to Kent where he converted the
Anglo-Saxons to Christianity. The conversion of the Anglo-Saxons to Christianity
produced an enrichment of learning, the Anglo-Saxon Renaissance. The greatest glory of
Anglo-Saxon Christianity was Northumbria. Normal people continued to believe in magic
and its customs. Old English absorbed many Latin words.
3. OLD ENGLISH
English comes from the "Low German". Old English is the name of the language and
Anglosaxon is the name of the speakers. There were four dialects: Northumbrian,
Mercian, Kentish and Wessex. The majority of the Anglo-Saxon literature comes from the
Wessex and the current English comes from the Mercian. The Nordic culture modified some
Latin symbols in runes and the old English uses some of these symbols. Differences from
Modern English concern spelling and pronunciation, vocabulary and the grammar.
4. CHARACTERISTICS OF OLD ENGLISH VERSE
All English pagan literature has been transmitted through manuscripts, with modifications
by Christian scribes. Most "Old English" verse techniques included these characteristics:
1. Four-stress line: Each line of the verse contained 4 accented syllables.
2. A pause: They divided each line into two staves.
