08-12-2009, 01:49 PM
Quote:We were trying to avoid that name. :oops:
Historians tend to call that period sub-Roman Britain, though I'm not sure why they don't call it post-Roman Britain. :wink:
Archaeologists tend to call it sub-roman; they first coined the term to refer to the material culture of the period, implying that it was essentially a crappy, debased attempt at roman culture.
Post Roman can only mean 'after Rome' and, as no one can agree on when Britain stopped being Roman, it's not a very useful term. It was easier when people agreed that Honorius' letter was to the Britains as that meant we could use 410 as a convenient end date but even then was that the end of 'Roman Britain'? Archaeological evidence tells otherwise.
Historians are (as much as we are) very divided on the subject, depending on where there passions lie.
Classicists like 'Late Antiquity'
Medievalists like 'Early Medieval'
Celtophiles like 'Arthurian'
Barbarian types like 'Migration Period'.
Those who know no better sit in their grubby SFBs and cling to 'Dark Age'.
:wink:
"Medicus" Matt Bunker
[size=150:1m4mc8o1]WURSTWASSER![/size]
[size=150:1m4mc8o1]WURSTWASSER![/size]