Life in the Dark Ages wasn’t that bad

Amateur treasure hunter Terry Herbert was prowling English farmland in Staffordshire, England, with a metal detector when he stumbled upon what has been described as the largest Anglo-Saxon treasure ever discovered.

Amateur treasure hunter Terry Herbert was prowling English farmland in Staffordshire, England, with a metal detector when he stumbled upon what has been described as the largest Anglo-Saxon treasure ever discovered.

Published Mar 18, 2012

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London - Most Anglo Saxons were farmers, living in wooden shacks, growing wheat and barley and raising sheep and cows.

At this stage, they ignored Roman towns such as London and lived in small settlements of a few families.

The average lifespan was about 45 but while many children were struck down by disease, an adult could live to 60 or even 70, especially if they were nobles or lived quiet lives in monasteries or nunneries.

Although the Vikings were starting to plunder England’s coast, historians describe it as a relatively “peaceful” time.

Dr Sam Lewsey said: “People were healthy, they were well-fed and reasonably prosperous, some of them very prosperous. There is a misconception that they were not sophisticated.” - Daily Mail

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