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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Lifestyle
Ellie Violet Bramley

From bling and birds to ‘really fancy armour’ – the best dressed characters of the Bayeux tapestry

Bayeux Tapestry scene of King Edward gesturing to a kneeling Harold, with attendants and a horse
The prosperity of England … Part of scene one of the Bayeux Tapestry, showing King Edward with Harold Godwinson. Photograph: Bayeux Museum - Ville de Bayeux

Blood, booze, arrows and boats; these are what you might typically imagine when you think of the Bayeux tapestry, which has become one of the hottest historical tickets since it went on display at the British Museum in London this month. But what about the hair?

“The Anglo-Saxons all have these little moustaches, which are brilliant. And then the Normans have these funny haircuts with the back of their heads shaved,” says Prof Laura Cleaver, an expert in medieval manuscripts at the Institute of English Studies.

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