The archaeological Authority of the Bayeux Tapestry

To what extent do the artifacts in the Bayeux Tapestry reflect the material culture of the Normans and Anglo-Saxons around 1066?

The archaeological Authority of the Bayeux Tapestry
Michael J. Lewis
In: BAR British (Book 404)

British Archaeological Reports (December 31, 2005)
ISBN-10: 1841717312
ISBN-13: 978-1841717319

ABSTRACT

The Bayeux Tapestry is the earliest known visual record of the events leading to the Norman Conquest of England. In view of this fact, the poor survival of eleventh-century material culture, and the dearth of contemporary imagery depicting secular life on the eve of the Conquest, it is no surprise that historians and archaeologists have quarried it as a source for contemporary life (and death) in the eleventh century. However, have scholars been sufficiently critical of its authority in this respect? Is it reasonable to expect that the medieval artist would ‘accurately’ depict the world around him, given that the medieval artistic tradition was one where it was customary for artists to repeat pictorial formulae and reuse them in new contexts? The purpose of this study is to examine the extent to which artifacts depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry reflect those of the contemporary world of the eleventh century, comparing them with archaeological evidence on the one hand and with early medieval artistic tradition on the other. It was written as a PhD in History at the University of Kent.

AUTHOR

Michael J. Lewis joined the Portable Antiquities Scheme, www.finds.org.uk, in 2000 as Finds Liaison Officer for Kent. Thereafter he succeeded Richard Hobbs as Outreach Officer; a post that mutated (with the expansion of the Portable Antiquities Scheme to the whole of England and Wales) to Deputy Head of the Portable Antiquities & Treasure.

As such, he is deputy to Roger Bland (Head of Portable Antiquities & Treasure) coordinating the work of the Portable Antiquities Scheme, its Finds Liaison Officers and is an advocate for the Scheme. Michael is also editor of the Portable Antiquities Scheme Annual Report, the Secretary of the Portable Antiquities Advisory Group and the main liaison between the Scheme and eBay.

FEATURED PHOTO:

Duke William shows his face during battle to reassure his men. Scene 55 in the Bayeaux Tapestry. Source: Wikipedia

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