grave goods

Gold spiral ring

This ring is a significant discovery because it represents the earliest gold object from a clear and well-dated context discovered in this region so far.

The Past

Integrating art and archaeology: Eastbourne, East Sussex

In this new interactive work of art, titled Walking through the town I followed a pattern on the pavement that became the magnified silhouette of a woman’s profile...

The Past

Reopening graves a widespread practice in early medieval Europe, research reveals

The practice appears to have begun in central Europe sometime before the 6th-century AD, and then spread across the continent before reaching its peak around two-hundred-years later.

RIGHT The small gold spiral recovered from an Early Bronze Age grave in Germany.

Striking gold in Germany

The discovery of the gold object in an Early Bronze Age grave was unusual, as precious metals are rare in the region at this date.

Bringing an Anglo-Saxon brooch back to life

Given the prominent location of this woman’s grave, overlooking the Ock valley, and the elaborate items she was buried with, it is likely she was a member of a leading family.

Top The grave goods found in Grave 38, including this rare silver diadem (above), have shed further light on the economic divisions that existed in Argaric society and the power held by the wealthiest individuals.

Emblems of power in Argaric society

The Antiquity paper presents a new theory about the significance of these diadems as emblems of power and suggests that they may reflect the central position of these women in the governance of Argaric society.

The Past

A detective story: rediscovering elite Viking burial remains

The grave goods included two iron axes, a bronze kettle, and metres of lavish textiles embroidered with silver, gold, and silk threads, all suggesting this was the grave of a high-status, elite individual.

ABOVE A relative kernel density ‘heat’ map showing the changing concentrations of grave good use across Western Europe between AD 680 and 800.

Digging into databases

Arguably, one of the biggest challenges that continually faces archaeology is accessibility. While that can be interpreted in several different ways, what I’m going to concentrate on in this month’s ‘Science Notes’ is access to data. With the advent of…

Above This bone comb, dating to AD 500 600 and probably used as a weaving tool, was found within one of the Anglo Saxon structures recently discovered along with a large cemetery at Overstone.

Northamptonshire’s largest Anglo-Saxon cemetery discovered

A large Anglo-Saxon cemetery has recently been discovered at Overstone in Northamptonshire. With 154 interments, it is the largest burial ground from this period ever found in the county. The 15ha site was excavated by Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA)…

ABOVE Excavation just outside Salisbury revealed traces of an early Bronze Age Beaker burial, so called because it contained this distinctive pottery vessel, accompanying the fragile remains of an infant. The pot has been decorated using comb impressions, forming simple but striking geometric patterns.

Mourning in miniature: excavating an infant Beaker burial near Salisbury

Archaeological investigations just outside Salisbury have uncovered echoes of early Bronze Age activity, including the burial of an infant who was laid to rest with a scaled-down beaker. Rachel McMullan reports.

ABOVE Among the different types of burials excavated at the necropolis were five sandstone sarcophagi.

Roman discoveries at ancient Augustodunum

Excavations directed by Carole Fossurier found a range of different burial practices. There were mausoleums, a wooden building, and a tile structure, which resembled burials of the early empire, as well as five sandstone sarcophagi and 15 lead coffins.

Etruscans: pushing boundaries

When the Etruscans expanded to the south and the vast plains of Campania, they found a land of cultural connections and confrontations, as luxurious grave goods found across the region reveal. An exhibition at the National Archaeological Museum in Naples sheds light on these ancient Italians at the frontier. Paolo Giulierini, director of the museum, is our guide.

Opposite Excavations on Corsica revealed a previously unsuspected Etruscan hypogeum dating to the 4th century BC. Here we see a view of the stairs and corridor leading to the burial chamber, which lies in the foreground. Various grave goods were arranged around the deceased, including two skyphoi (drinking cups), which were consolidated in situ before being lifted. below The excavation site, with the sea visible in the background. Archaeological investigation in advance of building work revealed a previously unknown Roman necropolis, which in turn led to the discovery of the hypogeum.

An unexpected tomb: Inside an Etruscan hypogeum on Corsica

Discovering a previously unsuspected Roman cemetery would normally rank as the archaeological highlight of a building project. Recent work on Corsica, though, revealed an even greater surprise.

Nefertari: into the Valley of the Queens

The Great Royal Wife of Ramesses II, Nefertari, was buried in one of the most spectacular tombs of Egypt’s Valley of the Queens. Well-educated and well-travelled, Nefertari played a crucial part in the political life of the pharaoh, and her importance was reflected through her magnificently decorated tomb. Minerva's Lucia Marchini speaks to Jennifer Casler Price to find out more.

LEFT This bone pommel is the first to be found on the Isle of Man.

Contextualising Bronze Age burials on the Isle of Man

Recent assessment of a unique burial assemblage from the Isle of Man has helped illuminate a rare type of funerary practice also found in parts of Wales and northern England. This new work provides a blueprint for moving away from…

Below The three balls found in burials at Yanghai cemetery were made of leather, with soft cores of hair

Earliest evidence for ball games in Eurasia

Ball games are known to have been played in Egypt c.4,500 years ago and in Central America at least 3,700 years ago, but it was previously thought that they were not present in Europe and Asia until much later.

Anglo-Saxon burials revealed

‘We had expected to find some kind of Anglo-Saxon burial, but what we found exceeded all our expectations and provides new insights into this stretch of the Thames in the decades after the collapse of the Roman administration in Britain.’

Warlord discovery throws new light on Anglo-Saxon history

He lay undisturbed on a hilltop for centuries. Now, the uncovered remains of an Anglo-Saxon warlord may change historians’ understanding of Britain’s ancient history.

Below Why was this human femur carved to create a musical instrument, which was then placed in the grave of a different Bronze Age individual who had lived and died some years later?

Rest in pieces: exploring evidence for Bronze Age curation of the dead

Archaeologists have long puzzled over fragments of human bone that have been found scattered around late Bronze Age settlements and placed in early Bronze Age burials like grave goods. Carly Hilts examines a recent study that sheds intriguing light on these enigmatic practices.

Anglo-Saxon ‘warrior’ burial uncovered

The grave of a 6th-century man – a possible warrior – has been uncovered on a hilltop near Marlow, overlooking the Thames Valley. Its location within the borderlands of prominent neighbouring Anglo-Saxon kingdoms – at different times Wessex, Kent, and…

BELOW The primary burial was found with a range of high status grave goods. RIGHT The site of the skatepark excavation is located within a wider ceremonial landscape.

Bronze Age burials at Lechlade skatepark

Archaeological investigations in Lechlade-on-Thames, Gloucestershire, have revealed two very unusual Bronze Age burials in an extensive ceremonial landscape spanning many phases of prehistory. The excavations were carried out by Foundations Archaeology in 2017, in advance of the construction of a…

OPPOSITE Testing a reconstructed chariot revealed that the charioteers had to be highly skilled and that the horses had to be intensively trained. Here, Jonathan Waterer drives a pair of Fiord ponies while Mike Loades tests the stability of the ride.

Bring me my chariot: investigating burial practices in Iron Age Yorkshire

What sparked the unusual chariot burials associated with the Arras Culture in East Yorkshire? Migration has been proposed as an explanation, but a new book asks whether there are other ways by which chariot-making knowledge and burial practices could have been transferred. The reality is perhaps more mundane but, at the same time, highly informative about the diversity of lifestyles and burial practices in the British Iron Age and the ways in which people expressed their regional identity. Chris Catling reports.

Tutankhamun: a teenager’s journey to the afterlife

As the centenary of Howard Carter’s discovery looms, the largest collection of Tutankhamun’s grave goods ever to leave Egypt has embarked on a world tour. The objects, ranging from glittering treasures to everyday essentials, were assembled to ease the youthful pharaoh’s passage into the next world. For all their beauty, these artefacts also tell tales of belief, the burden of royal duties, and young love, as Tarek El Awady revealed to CWA's Matthew Symonds.

The story of an urn: investigating an unusual cremation vessel

Analysis of one of the Birdoswald cremation vessels has revealed a wealth of new information – as well as some very unusual contents. Tony Wilmott tells all.

Anglo-Saxon cemetery found in Lincolnshire

The investigation uncovered 24 burials, all dating to between the late 5th and mid-6th centuries AD, and almost all of the individuals were buried with elaborate grave goods

RIGHT The face of Late Roman Winchester? This skull from a 26 to 35 year old male hints at a multicultural 4th century AD city. A number of features including the low bridged nose, slightly projecting jaw, and small brow ridges are more in keeping with Black and Asian groups than Caucasians.

Lankhills: ethnicity and death in Late Roman Winchester

Lankhills, Winchester, is a landmark site for Roman cemetery studies. Excavations there in the 1960s set new standards and explored the evidence for different ethnic groups. More recent redevelopment provided an opportunity for Oxford Archaeology to test these findings, and make major new discoveries. The final report by Paul Booth, Andrew Simmonds, Angela Boyle, Sharon Clough, Hilary Cool, and Daniel Poore cements Lankhills’ status.