In the mid fourth century Britain was a full member of the still-powerful Roman Empire; a century later the decaying empire could no longer defend or administer Britain. In the fifth century Anglo-Saxon settlement was limited: what sort of society succeeded that of Roman Britain in areas not yet overrun by the Anglo-Saxons? In the sixth century the Anglo-Saxons gained the upper hand, but was this a process of assimilation rather than conquest? In answering these questions the author avoids the limitations from which previous treatments of this topic have suffered: insularity and dependence on the historical sources. He places Britain firmly in the wider European context and takes as his basis archeological evidence and methodology, not history. The historical sources are seen as dubious, and are only seen as descriptive, not prescriptive evidence.