ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a historical and cultural overview of the continental Saxons from Antiquity up to the Carolingian era. It is written to supplement Chapter 1 by providing a contextual basis for approaching subsequent chapters. By the end of the chapter, readers will have a basic understanding of Saxon origins and their geographic habitation, as well as Saxon cultural features including their language, political structure, means of subsistence, material culture, and methods of war. The Saxons are then be compared and contrasted with the Kingdom of the Franks. Whereas the Frankish kingdom evolved into a polyethnic, Christian, and Romanized society, Saxony remained predominantly pagan, decentralized, and rural.
