Living on the edge: making and moving iron from the 'outside' in Anglo-Saxon England

The production of iron in Anglo-Saxon England is little understood due to the lack of evidence. There are less than a dozen iron smelting sites known. This is a distinct contrast to the wealth of evidence of iron smelting during the Roman period. Should we believe that the Anglo-Saxon world was relying on recycled Roman iron? The absence of evidence should not be taken as the evidence of absence. Instead, we can look towards contemporary archaeological examples and ethnography to try and explain the production of iron and the movement of ferrous objects. This paper will argue that the production of iron was located outside the settlement. Not only does this activity occupy the periphery of the physical and cultural landscape, it was embedded in the liminal zone between reality and myth. Blacksmiths were feared for their art was associated with magic. The evidence of their mobility in north-west Europe emphasises how marginal they were in society, along with their goods. The value of items coming from the 'outside' was heightened as they came from the distant unknown, the unfamiliar. In order to understand the dynamic role of iron in AngloSaxon society, we must review the negative evidence of iron smelting, and the evidence for smithing. This should be considered with reference to the literary evidence available to us in the context of the Migration period in northwest Europe. Iron production in early Anglo-Saxon England should also be sought after using archaeological prospection techniques.