Assembling an Early Medieval Cosmic Frontier on the North Sea Coast of England

In the early medieval period, a distinctive aspect of the siting of early medieval Northumbrian ecclesiastical establishments was in prominent coastal locations. The notion that this represents an engagement and confrontation with the Ocean, which constructed the sea as a metaphoric equivalent of the Egyptian desert where the first monastic pioneers sought isolation is a well-established one. This paper however develops this notion highlighting the pre-existing extent to which the coast was seen as freighted with symbolic meaning and how the distinctive nature of the North Sea as compared with the Mediterranean, particularly regarding the presence of tides, led to a distinctive engagement with the coastal landscape in Northern England.

Full title: Facing the Ocean: Assembling an Early Medieval Cosmic Frontier on the North Sea Coast of England

David Petts (Durham University)

TAG Deva 2018
Session: Location, Location, Location: Constructing Frontier Identity

archaeology,TAG Deva,Identity,frontier,hinterland,culture contact,