In the first study, Cambridge University bioarchaeologist Sam Leggett analyzed chemical traces of diets retained in the bones of 2,023 individuals buried in England from the 5th to 11th centuries. The discoveries, according to the researchers, overturned basic preconceptions about medieval English history and has 'big political implications.' Anglo-Saxon rulers had mostly vegetarian diets until the Vikings arrived, a new study suggests.Īnd a sister study, published in the journal Anglo-Saxon England on April 20, suggests that peasants would host lavish meat-heavy feasts for the elite instead of paying them with food as an exploitative levy.
