What can we learn about a people from the artifacts they left behind? In Russia, 1883, under the auspices of the British Museum, the author delivered these six lectures about England before the Norman Conquest. He recreates an entire universe from “The Earthen Jar,” a lecture on Anglo-Saxon pottery; “The Rune,” on Runic writing; “The Book,” on the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle and Beowulf; and more.