Primary History

ale

Drink made from barley.

Anglo-Saxon Chronicle

A history of England begun in the 800s.

archaeologist

A person who finds out about the past by looking at old objects or buildings that are buried under the ground.

barn

A farm building.

Bayeux Tapestry

An embroidery telling the story of the Norman Conquest in 1066.

Bede

An English monk and historian. He lived from about 673 to 735.

Beowulf

A long poem about a hero, probably made up before AD 800, and written down later.

brooch

Ornament used to fasten clothing.

capital

The main town or centre of government of a country.

Celts

People in Britain before the Romans invaded in AD43.

Charlemagne

King of the Franks and Holy Roman Emperor.

charm

A magical object or words, to protect a person from harm.

Christian

A person who follows the religion taught by Jesus Christ.

conquer

To beat an enemy and control them using force.

court

The place where a king meets his followers and gives commands.

cremate

To burn a dead body to ashes.

evidence

Objects and facts that give clues as to what happened long ago.

freeman

A person who was not a slave and owned land.

Hadrian's Wall

Wall marking the northern frontier of Roman Britain.

historian

A person who studies the past.

hearth

A fireplace, usually in the middle of a house, and with no chimney.

influence

The effect of a person or things on another.

invaders

People who attack and try to take over land from other people.

Latin

Language of the Romans.

longship

Viking ship with a sail and oars.

loom

Machine for weaving cloth.

lyre

A small harp played at Anglo-Saxon feasts.

mail shirt

Armour made from chain mail, worn on the upper body.

monastery

The building where monks live.

monk

A male member of a religious group, living, praying and working together and following a set of rules.

nun

A female member of a religious group, living, praying and working together and following a set of rules.

oxen

Strong cattle used to pull carts and ploughs.

pagan

A person who worships many gods.

Picts

People who lived in Scotland at the time of Roman Britain.

Pope

Head of the Roman Catholic Church.

potter

Person who makes pots, jars and bowls from clay.

raider

An enemy who attacks and then goes away.

rank

Status or position in society.

Reconstruct

To rebuild something as it was.

riddle

A puzzle based on playing with words.

Romans

People who ruled an empire 2,000 years ago

runes

The letters of the Anglo-Saxon alphabet.

Scots

People in Scotland; they called themselves Gaels - 'Scots' was a name the Romans gave them.

settlement

A place where people make their homes.

slave

A person who is not free but is owned and made to work by another.

smith

A worker who makes things from metal, usually iron.

strip fields

Long narrow ploughed fields.

Sutton Hoo

Site in Suffolk, England, of a king's ship-burial.

thane

An Anglo-Saxon nobleman who owned land.

thatch

A roof covered in straw or reeds.

tribe

A group of people who share a common background and culture.

Vikings

People from Scandinavia who were fighters, sea-travellers, traders and farmers.

walled

Having a defensive wall or wooden barrier around it, such as a walled town.

warrior

A person trained to fight in battle.

weaving

Making cloth.

well

A hole dug to supply drinking water to a settlement or house.

Wergild

Money paid to a murdered Anglo-Saxon's family by the murderer.

will

A document setting out how a person wants their possessions shared out after death.