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ENGLAND Anglo-Saxon burials less stated l Trust un ica log Arc haeo : Canterbury ALL photoS ABoVE The topsoil had been removed by brickworks about 100 years ago, so the discovery of an AngloSaxon cemetery on the site surprised everyone. surviving in a very fragile state; most burials contained no bone at all. Gendered inhumations Themajority of the inhumations contained grave goods – over 2,500 objects, including weapons, dress accessories, knives and vessels. There were several rich weapon burials (almost certainly those of men) and three probably female burials with garnet-inlaid brooches, including a plated disc brooch from Grave 2. Many of the graves contained sets of glass, amber or amethyst beads; there were over 300 glass beads in Grave 203 alone. Grave 184, a weapon burial with sword, shield and spear, contained a pair of intact glass cone beakers, placed either side of the head; very appropriate for someone buried at a place called the Meads, and on a part of the site that is due to become a pub! The post-excavation analysis phase of CAT’s excavation is now in full swing, and it is possible to draw some preliminary conclusions from the work done so far. The finds appear to date from around themiddleof the 6th century ADthrough to the end of the 7th. Some distinctively Kentish and Frankish objects, such as garnet-inlaid brooches and belt fittings, are present, but there is no sign of the material culture that characterises East Kent during the immediate post-Roman period, from the 5th to the period, from the 5th to the mid-6th century. This may mid-6th century. This may be because burial at this site did not begin until the mid-6th, or because the earliest parts of the cemetery lie beyond the limits of this excavation. earliest parts of the cemetery lie beyond the limits of this excavation. LEft Perfectly preserved, a pair of glass cone beakers, and (BELoW) in situ, placed either side of the head. LEft Perfectly preserved, a pair of glass cone beakers, and ( either side of the head. 22 current archaeology | www.archaeology.co.uk September 2010 |

West Kent cultural influence Alternatively, it may be that the community using this site had yet to come within the orbit of the emerging Kentish kingdom. Sittingbourne lies in themid-Kent region (between theMedway and the Stour). Most of our ideas about the nature of Kentish culture at this time come from a bit further east, near Thanet or the region the lies southeast of the Stour. There are hints from the so-called ‘lost cemetery’ at King’s Field, Faversham (found by railway workmen in the 1850s) of a high-status craft-working site in West Kent, north-west of the River Medway, from c.540 onwards. The large collection of fine gold jewellery and glassware from that cemetery, now in the British Museum, gives force to the etymology of Faversham as the ‘the home of the metal smiths’ – from Latin faber (smith or maker) and the Germanic ham (settlement) – and it is perfectly possible Sittingbourne owes as much to influence from West Kent as it does from further east. One already noticeable contrast with East Kent concerns weapon burials: the majority at The Meads include shields, a pattern more typical of East Anglia than Kent east of the Stour. It will be interesting to see whether any other differences between the community at the Meads and their neighbours further east in Kent become apparent during the study of this site. ABoVE Glass beads from the Anglo-Saxon ABoVE Glass beads from the Anglo-Saxon cemetery at The Meads, Sittingbourne in Kent. RIGht Many of the Anglo-Saxon graves at The Meads included beads made from amethysts. at The Meads included BELoW A badly corroded iron sword lying in situ. Beaker burial But the dead were being buried at this site long before the 6th century AD. The ring ditch found in the early stages of the stripping of the site was probably associated with a now vanished Bronze Age round barrow, one of several situated along the low ridge that bisects the site from north-east to south-west. The mound and central burial have | Issue 246 not survived, although the ditch fill produced an interesting assemblage of worked flint and prehistoric pottery (as did many of the Anglo-Saxon grave fills), indicating activity on the site during the Mesolithic and Neolithic periods. A major surprise was the discovery of four Beaker vessels in a cluster of features away from the barrow. These seem to represent accessory vessels from three inhumations, along with one cremation. Other prehistoric features in this part of the site include post holes and what appears to be a segmented (or causewayed) ditch; the latter partially encloses the area centred on the Beaker burials and has produced early prehistoric, possibly Neolithic, pottery.Clearly, averysignificantprehistoric site is present at The Meads and this is yet another place in Kent where the members of an early AngloSaxon community were drawn to place their dead in proximity to prehistoric round barrows. Gravel extraction at Wasperton A very different story can be told from the major cemetery at Wasperton (CA 126). Wasperton lies a long way from Kent on the eastern bank of  www.archaeology.co.uk | current archaeology 23

Page Text

ENGLAND Anglo-Saxon burials less stated l Trust un ica log

Arc haeo

: Canterbury

ALL photoS

ABoVE The topsoil had been removed by brickworks about 100 years ago, so the discovery of an AngloSaxon cemetery on the site surprised everyone.

surviving in a very fragile state; most burials contained no bone at all.

Gendered inhumations

Themajority of the inhumations contained grave goods – over 2,500 objects, including weapons, dress accessories, knives and vessels. There were several rich weapon burials (almost certainly those of men) and three probably female burials with garnet-inlaid brooches, including a plated disc brooch from Grave 2. Many of the graves contained sets of glass, amber or amethyst beads; there were over 300 glass beads in Grave 203 alone. Grave 184, a weapon burial with sword, shield and spear, contained a pair of intact glass cone beakers, placed either side of the head; very appropriate for someone buried at a place called the Meads, and on a part of the site that is due to become a pub!

The post-excavation analysis phase of CAT’s excavation is now in full swing, and it is possible to draw some preliminary conclusions from the work done so far. The finds appear to date from around themiddleof the 6th century ADthrough to the end of the 7th. Some distinctively Kentish and Frankish objects, such as garnet-inlaid brooches and belt fittings, are present, but there is no sign of the material culture that characterises East Kent during the immediate post-Roman period, from the 5th to the period, from the 5th to the mid-6th century. This may mid-6th century. This may be because burial at this site did not begin until the mid-6th, or because the earliest parts of the cemetery lie beyond the limits of this excavation.

earliest parts of the cemetery lie beyond the limits of this excavation.

LEft Perfectly preserved, a pair of glass cone beakers, and (BELoW) in situ, placed either side of the head.

LEft Perfectly preserved, a pair of glass cone beakers, and ( either side of the head.

22

current archaeology | www.archaeology.co.uk

September 2010 |

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