My ancestors - the early Anglo-Saxons - came to Britain in a boat not much bigger than this one. Are you coming with me?
Hah! Go in a silly little boat like that?
Suit yourself! Bigger isn't always better, you know! Anyway, where was I? The early Anglo-Saxons came to Britain because it had a better climate, good land for farming and the old Roman trading routes.
Life in our homeland was often hard with not enough food to go round, so we came to Britain for a better way of life. We thought nothing of travelling a long way in a little boat like this. Boats were the only way to get anywhere. That's why we always settled nearthe coast - near where we landed.
Now, in the 21st Century in Britain, you have cars, buses, taxis, planes, trains, even rockets. But in Saxon times in my day, there weren't even any roads - apart from one or two old Roman ones in certain parts of the country - but they became overgrown. It was quicker to sail round Britain than to cross it by land.
Video summary
In this short clip, the character of Sid the Saxon explains how his people come to Britain to settle on the coast and why travelling by boat was the best means of transport in the Anglo-Saxon era.
The clip concludes with comparisons to 21st Century transport.
This clip comes from BBC series Primary History, Signs of the Saxons.
Teacher Notes
Pupils could list the pros and cons of coming to Britain if they were Saxons.
They could write diaries of their boat journeys here and about where they settled.
On a map, Anglo-Saxon place names could be investigated or placed. The meanings of these names could also be looked at.
Thinking about the geography of Britain, pupils may consider why it was faster to sail around Britain. Was it also safer?
This animation is suitable for teaching History at Key Stage 2 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and at 2nd Level in Scotland.
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