The Sussex Archaeological Society Conference: Michael Shapland
The Early Medieval Kingdoms of Sussex
This talk will show that the Kingdom of Sussex was formed from several smaller folk territories of much older origin, each of which had its own ruler, centre of power and cultural identity. Ongoing research is expanding our knowledge of the westernmost of these kingdoms, centred on the Selsey Peninsula near Chichester, which appears to have survived as a Christian entity with Romano-British kings for centuries after the region’s supposed conquest by the pagan Anglo-Saxons in the late 5th century.
Michael Shapland works for UCL’s field unit Archaeology South-East, where he specialises in historic buildings, as well as having a research interest in the Anglo-Saxon world. He serves as the consultant archaeologist for Chichester Cathedral.
