what was the first literature of the anglo-saxons
"Cædmon's Hymn"
title: History of the Anglo-Saxons text: History of the Anglo-Saxons The History of the Anglo-Saxons is a three volume publication by English historian Sharon Turner written between 1799 and 1805. It covers the history of England up to the Norman conquest. Under the influence of Thomas Percy's "Reliques of Ancient English Poetry" he compiled the first edition of the "History of the Anglo-Saxons" between 1799 and 1805, and became one of the earliest scholars to document Anglo-Saxon historical manuscripts in the Cottonian collection at the British Museum. By 1852, the history had seen seven editions. 'Immensely popular', Turner's "History" 'had immediate and lasting effects, stimulating both title: Anglo-Saxons text: conquest in 1066. The earliest historical references using this term are from outside Britain, referring to piratical Germanic raiders, 'Saxones' who attacked the shores of Britain and Gaul in the 3rd century AD. Procopius states that Britain was settled by three races: the Angiloi, Frisones, and Britons. The term "Angli Saxones" seems to have first been used in continental writing of the 8th century; Paul the Deacon uses it to distinguish the English Saxons from the continental Saxons ("Ealdseaxe", literally, 'old Saxons'). The name therefore seemed to mean "English" Saxons. The Christian church seems to have used the word Angli; title: Anglo-Saxons text: there was a flowering of literature and language. Charters and law were also established. The term "Anglo-Saxon" is popularly used for the language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons in England and eastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century. In scholarly use, it is more commonly called Old English. The history of the Anglo-Saxons is the history of a cultural identity. It developed from divergent groups in association with the people's adoption of Christianity, and was integral to the establishment of various kingdoms. Threatened by extended Danish invasions and military occupation of eastern title: Anglo-Saxons text: and specialist research. The manuscripts use a modified Roman alphabet, but Anglo-Saxon runes or "futhorc" are used in under 200 inscriptions on objects, sometimes mixed with Roman letters. This literature is remarkable for being in the vernacular (Old English) in the early medieval period: almost all other written literature was in Latin at this time, but due to Alfred's programme of vernacular literacy, the oral traditions of Anglo-Saxon England ended up being converted into writing and preserved. We owe much of this preservation to the monks of the tenth century, who made – at the very least – the copies title: Anglo-Saxons text: of most of the literary manuscripts that still exist. Manuscripts were not common items. They were expensive and hard to make. First, cows or sheep had to be slaughtered and their skins tanned. Then people had to decide to use this leather for manuscripts rather than for any of the other things leather can be used for. The leather was then scraped, stretched, and cut into sheets, which were sewn into books. Then inks had to be made from oak galls and other ingredients, and the books had to be hand written by monks using quill pens. Every manuscript is