Anglo Saxon Brooch Has Oldest Writing In English

The Telegraph (UK) ^ | 6-7-2003 | Paul Stokes

[blam]

Anglo Saxon brooch has oldest writing in English

By Paul Stokes
(Filed: 07/06/2003)

What is believed to be the oldest form of writing in English ever found has been uncovered in an Anglo-Saxon burial ground. It is in the form of four runes representing the letters N, E, I and M scratched on the back of a bronze brooch from around AD650. The six inch cruciform brooch is among one million artefacts recovered from a site at West Heslerton, near Malton, North Yorks, since work began there in 1978. Dominic Powlesland, the archaeologist leading the excavation team, said: "This could well be the earliest example of written English we know of.

"Only one or two other runic inscriptions from around this period have been found, but this is either the earliest or one of them. We have no idea what the letters mean, except that it would have been something in early English.

"Whether it is a charm of some form, a person's initials or the first letters of a phrase is something only future research will be able to determine. It was obviously something treasured by its owner as it had been carefully repaired."

The site alongside the cemetery is the first Anglo-Saxon settlement in Britain to be forensically excavated using modern techniques.

Mr Powlesland, the director of the Landscape Research Centre, an archaeological charity funded by English Heritage, said the discovery had forced a re-think of what were known as the "Dark Ages" after the fall of the Roman Empire.

He said: "It shows that a well-ordered, sophisticated society existed in the fourth century as the Roman world was collapsing. Previous thinking suggested that the Anglo-Saxons lived in squalor and near chaos."

English Heritage has provided £55,000 to display the finds at Malton Museum.

[Scenic Sounds]

the letters N, E, I and M

See if you can tell me what you imagine those letters to stand for. ;-)

[John Beresford Tipton]

"Where's Al Sharpton when you need him?"

Er,.....no, when historians refer to "The Black Prince"
they have someone else in mind.

[BigLittle]

Never

Elect

Immoral

Men

[Scenic Sounds]

Great!!!

[Southflanknorthpawsis]

Hmmmmm...... Never Eat In Mexico ????

[Scenic Sounds]

Hmmmmm...... Never Eat In Mexico ????

ROFL. That must be it!!

[brityank]

Outstanding!

A well deserved Bump.

[blam]

"I suppose my stronger reaction is to wonder why you have such a ready access to the Cheddar Man archives."

My hobby is anthropology/archaeology. I found some 7,000 year old wood in Florida a few years ago. Think about how old that is, before the pyramids, Stone Henge...almost everything.

[arasina]

ROFL! You have a very creative mind.

[BigLittle]

N achos

E nchiladas

I ndigestions

M ake

[blam]

You may find this interesting also.

Y Chromosones Sketch New Outline Of British History

[Southflanknorthpawsis]

LOL !!!

[muir_redwoods]

Doesn't Senator Byrd count as fossilized human excrement? He's way bigger than 20 CM by 5 CM

[Southflanknorthpawsis]

No Environmentalists In Montana.

[Amelia]

See if you can tell me what you imagine those letters to stand for. ;-)

No Englishmen in Normandy?

[Scenic Sounds]

No Englishmen in Normandy?

NEIM = No Englshmen In Normandy

Excellent, Amelia. LOL

(No one will notice.) ;-)

[Amelia]

Manhattan! I meant Manhattan!

Damn typos!

[Pan_Yans Wife]

I was about to ping you! I love the brooches, remind me of some that my grandmother had!

[Scenic Sounds]

Manhattan! I meant Manhattan! Damn typos!

ROFL

[ffusco]

Wow! 4 letters found. I'm going to have to rethink the whole dark ages now.