The Anglo-Saxons buried their dead in cemeteries and when these are excavated they can telll us a great deal about their lives. We can begin to reconstruct their dress and appearance, learn about their technologies, religion, and way of life. Saxon burials are often easy to identify because the dead were buried with personal possessions including jewellery and weapons. As Pagans the Anglo-Saxons believed these objects might have been useful in the afterlife
A famous burial of a woman was discovered at Alwalton and her grave goods can be seen at Peterborough Museum.
MEN:
Men were commonly buried with their weapons including shields and spears. A Saxon shield was a small defensive weapon used to deflect an opponent’s attack. The shields were made of wood and covered in leather with a central iron fitting known as a boss. The seax was a small single edged iron sword.
The spear was the basic weapon of an adult free man. The spearhead was made of iron with a shaft of wood.
The amount of weaponry in a grave denotes its status. Graves of the lowest rank had a single weapon. Higher ranked burials had a shield as well. The most important individuals had a third weapon such as an axe.
Some burials have been discovered that were very high status or royal, though this is very rare, like the ship burial found at Sutton Hoo in Suffolk, which contained a magnificent gold helmet.
WOMEN:
Women were commonly buried with their jewellery such as brooches that were used to fasten garments together and beads which were often worn as necklaces, made from bone, clay, glass and amber.
Other items from female burials include: -
Latchlifters - These functional iron keys are often found in female graves. It would seem that women had control of the home and held the 'keys to the door'.
Girdle Hangers - These were worn hung from the waist. Unlike the latchlifter keys they were purely symbolic and had no functional use. They may represent the woman's role as head of the household.
Wrist Clasps - These pairs of clasps were made of bronze and fastened shirtsleeves with a simple hook and eye mechanism.
(It is not unusual to find male graves with female grave goods. This is common in Saxon cemeteries although the reason is not known.)
References:
Multiple sources including Peterborough Museum
Images:
Cover image Hedda Stone from Peterborough Cathedral
Replica Anglo Saxon Seax
Replica Anglo Saxon bead necklace, brooches and girdle hanger
