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Archaeology in Alfred the Great (1969) and The Last Kingdom (2015-)
- Author(s):
- Victoria Nicholls, Howard Williams (see profile)
- Date:
- 2020
- Group(s):
- Archaeology, Early Medieval
- Subject(s):
- Mass media--Study and teaching, Archaeology, Public history, Popular culture--Study and teaching, Middle Ages, Anglo-Saxons--Study and teaching
- Item Type:
- Book chapter
- Tag(s):
- public archaeology, ealry medieval, Anglo-Saxon archaeology, Media archaeology, Popular culture studies, Early medieval archaeology, Anglo-Saxon studies
- Permanent URL:
- http://dx.doi.org/10.17613/ceaj-e563
- Abstract:
- Alfred the Great (1969) was the first, and remains the only, feature-length film portraying the West Saxon king and his conflicts with the Danes. Forty-seven years later, Bernard Cornwell’s novels have been adapted for television as The Last Kingdom (2015–). Despite being fictional adaptions of historical events, and despite the considerable separation in time between their production, both Alfred the Great and The Last Kingdom consciously aspired to portray the Saxons and Vikings with a high degree of historical accuracy. Taking an archaeological perspective – focusing on the material cultures represented and their archaeological inspirations – this chapter asks which is more effective in representing late 9th-century Britain and what are the implications of this comparison?
- Metadata:
- xml
- Published as:
- Book chapter
- Status:
- Published
- Last Updated:
- 4 years ago
- License:
- All Rights Reserved
- Share this:
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