Chapter 1. A Field of Death, 937 The practice and the detritus of field-stripping. Brunanburh poem. Rings from dead men's hands. Egil's poem. Charlemagne and the barrels of rings. Metal slipping into the earth. Chapter 2.

A Field of Grass, 2019 Introducing Wirral Archaeology and their discovery of metal in the earth at the recycling site just described. Who are these modern sleuths and how did they come to dig search this spot (reference back to Casebook )? Chapter 3.The Boneless King, 837-870 Introducing the Vikings: their presence in Ireland, the north, and England. Strong focus on the central role of York. Chapter 4.The Great King, 871-899 Introducing the Anglo-Saxons, focusing on the figure of Alfred the Great and the rise of Wessex. Chapter 5. The Gathering Storm, 900-937 The Vikings struggle as the Anglo-Saxons grow in strength, and they find allies in the Scots, the Welsh, and the men of Strathclyde.

Their one goal: to destroy Athelstan. Chapter 6. The Grand Alliance, 937 The Brunanburh campaign begins. What do we know of the many kings involved and how they came together? How do we know the timing of the campaign? What clues do our sources provide about the initial actions? Focus on the figure of Egil Skallagrimson (referencing poem from chapter 1) and his career moving between courts to end up, in this moment, in the command of Athelstan. Chapter 7. The Search for Brunanburh, 2010 Working through the clues about the location, the many alternate theories, up to the story of the Casebook : the roles played by this international team of experts, and how their work brought Wirral Archaeology to the search for Brunanburh. Chapter 8. The Day England Came of Age, 937 With the most recent findings of Wirral Archaeology in hand, along with satellite recon, how can I reconstruct the battle? Chapter 9.

A Memory of War, Then and Now Aftermath and impact. How did Brunanburh impact the history of England? Why did it captivate writers like Tennyson and Borges?.