UK experts find 7th-century teen buried in her bed

[BUncle]

UK experts find 7th-century teen buried in her bed
By RAPHAEL SATTER | Associated Press – 15 hrs ago...


LONDON (AP) — Archaeologists excavating near Cambridge have stumbled upon a rare and mysterious find: The skeleton of a 7th-century teenager buried in an ornamental bed along with a gold-and-garnet cross, an iron knife and a purse of glass beads.

Experts say the grave is an example of an unusual Anglo-Saxon funerary practice of which very little is known. Just over a dozen of these "bed burials" have been found in Britain, and it's one of only two in which a pectoral cross — meant to be worn over the chest — has been discovered.

One archaeologist said the burial opened a window into the transitional period when the pagan Anglo-Saxons were gradually adopting Christianity.

"We are right at the brink of the coming of Christianity back to England," said Alison Dickens, the manager of Cambridge University's Archaeological Unit. "What we have here is a very early adopter."

The grave, dated between 650 and 680 A.D., was discovered about a year ago in a corner of Trumpington Meadows, a rural area just outside Cambridge that is slated for development.

Howard Williams, a professor of archaeology at the University of Chester who is not connected to the discovery, said bed burials were very rare. But he noted they also happened on mainland Europe and said Anglo-Saxons may have looked across the Channel for inspiration.

"It's part of a broader pan-European identity in life and in death," he said.

Dickens said the teen's grave was interesting because it had a mix of traditional grave goods — the knife, as well as a chain thought to hold a purse full of beads — along with a powerful symbol of Christian devotion.

The grave, she said, indicated "the beginning of the end of one belief system, and the beginning of another."

The teenager's jewelry — a solid gold cross about 3 1/2 centimeters (1 1/2 inches) wide, set with cut garnets — marks her out as a member of the Anglo-Saxon aristocracy. She was about 15, but her skeleton hasn't yet been subjected to radiocarbon dating or isotopic analysis. Those techniques might help experts determine where and under what circumstances she grew up.

Three sets of Anglo-Saxon remains were also found nearby, but it's not clear to what degree any of the people buried there were related.

As for the bed itself, there's little left of it other than its iron fittings.

The rationale behind bed burials remains a matter of speculation.

"The word in Old English for 'bed' and 'grave' is the same because it's 'the place where you lie,'" Dickens said. "It is interesting that you have that association. You're lying there — but just for a much longer time, I suppose."

http://news.yahoo.com/uk-experts-7th-century-teen-buried-her-bed

[Unorthodox]

The necklace is a SQUARE cross, not a Christian variety cross.  I actually rather question it's connection to Christianity, myself, as this styled cross was symbolic long before Jesus was declared the savior.   

[BUncle]

Tell me more...

[Unorthodox]

Tell me more...

That doesn't scream 'christian' to me, but rather Germanic cross, where such a cross shape was a symbol of protection long before Jebus.  ESPECIALLY as Christianity would have been VERY new in England at that time.  The first Christian churches to adopt a similar cross (The canterbury cross) did so ~800AD. 

Still, it's strange.  Only 2 such graves with these crosses so far, and only about a dozen bed burials. 

[BUncle]

I didn't know the maltese cross was a pre-christian symbol.

[Unorthodox]

This would be an "alisee" cross, with the rounded ends.  (Malteze has the little V's on the ends) It predates Christianity in many areas of the world, including Germania and India as well as many pre-columbian sites in central/south america. 

Also, the cross wasn't adopted as a symbol by the Christian church until the Sixth Ecumenical Council in 680 AD.  Kinda silly to have this site predate the symbol within christianity itself, and call it a sure sign of the christian influences. 

IMO anyway. 

[BUncle]

The attribution calls Alison Dickens, who said that, the manager of Cambridge University's Archaeological Unit.  You don't suppose she's just an administator, do you?

Also, the German and Indian things you refer to were swastikas, weren't they?  Dunno if a stylized spiral counts as a cross.

[Unorthodox]

You're thinking of Hindu.

I was referring to the Khasi people of Northern India. 


As for Germanic, the cross was the symbol of both Wodan and Odin. 

[BUncle]

You say that last like it's two different gods.

[Unorthodox]

Some scholars claim there is a difference.  I haven't looked into it that much to be honest.