"This book looks at the south-western peninsula of Britain, including the present counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset, during the late Roman and post-Roman periods. It considers the exploitation of lowland and upland landscapes and how the social organization which this involved changed over time. Ceremonial activity, including burial, and its relationship to Christian practice, is discussed in detail. The use of monastic foundation, exchange connections with the Mediterranean and the development of centres of power are all analyzed. The book considers ideas of 'Britishness' and 'Germanness' and the way in which what became the West Saxon kingdom was created. Above all, it is concerned to stress the cultural similarities between south-western Britain and the wider antique world, as this gradually changed into the world of the early Middle Ages."--BOOK JACKET.