Manx Crosses: A Handbook of Stone Sculpture 500-1040 in the Isle of Man

This is the first general survey of the carved stone crosses of the Isle of Man (late 5th to mid-11th century) for more than a century, providing a new view of the political and religious connections of the Isle of Man in a period of great turmoil in the Irish Sea region. The book also includes an up-to-date annotated inventory of the monuments.

‘In his book, David Wilson discusses the emergence,zenith, and decline of Manx crosses in six stimulating chapters, supported by acomprehensive list of sites and that all-important index. He clearly shows thatmajor influences were brought to bear over the 600-year period, initially byearly Christian missionaries, followed by Picts, and finally Vikings. His bookis the first comprehensive survey to be undertaken for over a century, andprovides invaluable context to their origins and use at a time when,politically, the Irish Sea (province) was experiencing great upheaval. This isa must-read for scholars interested in the religious iconography of the earlymedieval period.’ – George Nash (2019): CurrentArchaeology #339

‘We have needed this book: an authoritative and holisticintroduction to the Isle of Man’s early medieval sculpture. From the book’sPreface we get a good sense of just how hard-won its contents have been for the‘retired’, eminent Viking scholar Sir David Wilson, who long ago made the Isleof Man his home… Throughout, Wilson draws effectively on his extensiveknowledge of the early medieval, particularly Scandinavian world, to situate theManx story, as revealed through its sculpture, in its Irish Sea and widerEuropean context.’ – Sally Foster (2019): Archaeological Journal,DOI: 10.1080/00665983.2019.1590955

The carved stone crosses of the Isle of Man of the late fifth to mid-eleventh century are of national and international importance. They provide the most coherent source for the early history of Christianity in the Island, and for the arrival and conversion of Scandinavian settlers in the last century of the Viking Age – a century which produced some of the earliest recognisable images of the heroes and gods of the North; earlier, indeed, than those found in Scandinavia. This, the first general survey of the material for more than a century, provides a new view of the political and religious connections of the Isle of Man in a period of great turmoil in the Irish Sea region. The book also includes an up-to-date annotated inventory of the monuments.

• | Author: David M. Wilson
• | Publisher: Archaeopress
• | Publication Date: Jun 30, 2018
• | Number of Pages:
• | Language:
• | Binding: Paperback / softback
• | ISBN-13: 9781784917562
• | ISBN-10: 1784917567