A thousand years ago, the Anglo-Saxons buried a mysterious ship. Archaeologists discovered its contents
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Archaeologists discovered a key component of a mysterious artifact in a 7th-century Anglo-Saxon “Ghost Ship” cemetery between 1938 and 1939.
Since 1986, Byzantine fragments of the sixth century fascinated researchers.
Researchers have long questioned the purpose of the artifact, which depicts hunting scenes in North Africa, which include warriors, various weapons, lions and hunting dogs. Experts believe the reservoir was from the Byzantine Empire and was made in Antioch, modern Turkey, and then led to the eastern coast of England a century later.
The 2012 excavation contributed more to the object, known as the Bromeswell Bucket. However, the entire bottom of the ship is as elusive as the reason why the Anglo-Saxon ruins exist.
Now, the Bromeswell puzzle is more complete.
A new excavation last summer unearthed a piece of dirt containing pieces of a barrel. A careful analysis reveals the entire base, which includes decorative feet, claws, the character’s shields and the missing faces of one of the warriors.
The team also discovered the surprising content of the bucket – cremated animals and human remains – which revealed more about the reason why the ship was buried. Outside the burned bones, researchers found an unexpected complete comb that might contain the person’s DNA evidence, possibly with a high status that they had rested in peace more than a thousand years ago.
Unexpected grave
The dirt blocks were CT scans and X-rays at the University of Bradford and were sent to the York Archaeological Trust in November for a more in-depth analysis. A research team with experience in studying human skeletons, organic remains and conservation, carefully removes soil in barrels and analyzes each fragment as it slowly appears.
According to the release of the National Trust, this careful approach has discovered cremated human skeletons, including ankle bones and part of the skull dome, or the protective upper part of the skull. The researchers also found residues of animal bones, and initial analysis showed that the fragments came from something larger than a pig. The team noted that horses were often part of the early Anglo-Saxon crematorium to reflect the rise in status of dead people.
The tight clusters of bone residues and some curious unknown fibers suggest that the remains were initially placed in bags placed in buckets. However, some bone fragments were also found, some bone fragments were found outside the barrel, and copper staining from the bones would also be buried on bone signals outside the ship, the researchers said.
At the bottom of the bucket, see cremated human and animal bones, as well as double-sided combs. – FAS Heritage
Both human and animal skeletons are underway for further research and radiocarbon age to provide additional context.
Several cremation funerals at Sutton Hoo were placed in containers such as ceramic pots and bronze bowls, including an impressive copper hanging bowl on display in the High Hall exhibition. But such buckets are rare and there have never been any remains of cremation found inside, Laura Howarth said in an email, said Laura Howarth, archaeology and participation manager for Sutton Hoo’s website at the National Trust.
The initial scan also showed serious goods inside the bucket, and the researchers struggled to retrieve a delicate but largely complete double-sided comb with wide teeth and possibly made of deer antlers. Unlike bones, the comb has not been burned yet.
Combs made of bones and antlers are all retrieved from male and female burials, with different sizes indicating they are used to modify hair, beard and remove lice.
Howards said the acidic soil of Sutton Hoo rotted the wood of the Anglo-Saxon ship, leaving only the impression of a board and a row of iron rivets, meaning that many of the bone combs previously found in Sutton Hoo were not well preserved.
The team was unable to determine the gender of an individual from the skeletal fragments, but the researchers were optimistic that they might be able to retrieve ancient DNA from the combs, thus discovering more about the identity of the person involved.
Environmental archaeologist Naomi Sewpaul said scientists are also eager to look closely at leaves and find other plant remains in buckets, which can provide clues to the climate, environment and season when the bucket is buried.
“We know that this bucket was originally a rare and precious property of the Anglo-Saxon era, but it has been a mystery why it was buried,” National Trust archaeologist Angus Wainwright said in a statement. “Now, we know that it was used to contain the remains of an important figure in the Suttonhou community. I hope further analysis will reveal more information about this very special funeral.”
The condition of the double-sided antler comb is surprising given the acidic soil in which it is buried. – FAS Heritage
A long journey
The base of the bucket was found in one piece, in a surprising condition, and a CT scan showed a concentric ring, indicating that it was made by a cold hammer – when metal (such as copper) was formed by the movement of the percussion instrument without heating. There is no evidence that the bucket has top grade.
There are still questions about the original purpose of the bucket and how it reached England. Researchers suspect this might be a diplomatic gift or it was acquired by mercenary Saxon soldiers.
“We think the bucket has life before burial,” Howards wrote in an email. “We cannot be sure how this bucket was hundreds of miles from this corner of Suffolk in the Byzantine Empire. (It) could be an antique at the time of burial. From possible wandering/isolation discovery to buckets that are part of the burial environment.”
The researchers carefully brushed the dirt to find the contents of the bucket. – FAS Heritage
Sutton Hoo’s new research is part of a two-year project that began last summer by the National Trust, on-site archaeology experts or FAS, Heritage and “Time Team.” The project unearthed fragments of the last week of the month in the summer of 2024.
Sutton Hoo has been the site of multiple excavations over the years, as the discovery of ship burial in the late 1930s changed the way historians lived with Anglo-Saxons.
The 90-foot (27-meter) wooden ship was towed 1,400 years ago when the Anglo-Saxon King died, half a mile (0.8 km) from the Deden River. The funeral is likely to be the death of Raedwald of East Anglia at a funeral of around 624, where he was placed on a boat surrounded by treasures and buried in a mound.
In addition to the famous ship burial, the Royal Cemetery and the sixth-century Anglo-Saxon Cemetery were discovered in Sutton Hoo in the past. Archaeologists have determined that the Anglo-Saxon Cemetery, which was earlier than the Royal Cemetery, contained 13 cremation and nine funerals in 2000 before the construction of the Sutton House Visitor Center. It is believed that the people buried here are from low-ranking families to relatively high-ranking families, and perhaps even grandparents or great-grandparents who were later buried in the royal cemetery.
Excavations this season have been conducted at Garden Field, a site close to the burial of ships and will continue until June to discover more information about the Anglo-Saxon Cemetery.
“We finally solved the puzzle of Bromeswell barrels – now we know, this is the first rare item ever used for cremation burial. It’s an amazing mix – a ship from the Southern Classical World, which contains very northern, very Germanic remains, very Germanic cremation.” “It represents the strangeness of Sutton Hoo – it has funerals, horse tombs, mound burials and now bathing burials.
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