The Anglo-Saxon Graveyard Buried In Lincolnshire | Time Team | Timeline

Timeline - World History Documentaries2 minutes read

Excavations at a vast Anglo-Saxon cemetery reveal multiple burials, with significant finds like a warrior's shield, challenging the identification of a tall, possibly female, warrior. The site's history encompasses 4,500 years, shedding light on the lives of ancient Anglo-Saxons and prehistoric inhabitants through various artifacts and discoveries.

Insights

  • The excavation at the Anglo-Saxon cemetery near Lincolnshire has unearthed various artifacts, including a warrior burial with a shield boss, indicating the presence of a warrior class in the society and offering insights into the community's structure and practices during the mid-fifth to seventh centuries.
  • Through meticulous investigation and analysis, the team has uncovered a rich historical tapestry at the site, spanning 4,500 years and revealing intricate details about the people who lived there, from early Bronze Age barrows to Anglo-Saxon burials, showcasing the site's significance as a multi-generational resting place and a window into ancient societal customs and beliefs.

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Recent questions

  • What significant discoveries were made in a Lincolnshire field?

    A metal detectorist found rare artifacts, including an Anglo-Saxon warrior.

  • What techniques are used to identify concentrations of artifacts before excavation?

    Field walkers are employed for this purpose.

  • What prompted the investigation of a potential henge at the site?

    The discovery of a mysterious circle led to further investigation.

  • What insights did the discovery of grave goods provide about the buried individuals?

    Grave goods, including beads and copper wrist clasps, offered valuable insights.

  • What was the significance of the Anglo-Saxon woman discovered at the site?

    The discovery of a tall Anglo-Saxon woman, possibly a warrior, was significant.

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Summary

00:00

Anglo-Saxon cemetery excavation reveals warrior grave

  • Stonehenge is an extraordinary historical location visited during the production of a documentary.
  • A metal detectorist found various rare artifacts in a Lincolnshire field, including an Anglo-Saxon warrior.
  • Time Team is on a rescue mission to investigate an important Anglo-Saxon cemetery threatened by plowing.
  • The site is vast, almost a kilometer long and 300 meters across, requiring careful planning for excavation.
  • Field walkers are used to identify concentrations of artifacts before digging begins.
  • Various artifacts spanning from the mid-fifth to seventh centuries have been found, indicating multiple burials.
  • Excavation efforts aim to locate the edges of the cemetery and potentially discover more graves.
  • Geophysics surveys are conducted to pinpoint grave cuts and metal grave goods within the soil.
  • A cremation burial and an Anglo-Saxon skeleton have been uncovered, along with grave goods like beads and a shield boss.
  • The discovery of an iron shield boss suggests the presence of a warrior class in the society, possibly confirming the identification of Andrew's warrior grave.

14:37

Anglo-Saxon Cemetery Unearths Mystery and Artifacts

  • The team has discovered a burial, a cremation, and various finds in an Anglo-Saxon cemetery.
  • They face a challenge in determining the cemetery's size due to time constraints.
  • A geophysical survey reveals a mysterious circle that could be a barrow or henge.
  • Excavations uncover two skeletons, one with beads and a warrior with a shield.
  • A potential henge is discovered, prompting further investigation through digging.
  • Craftsman are tasked with creating a replica battle shield using authentic techniques.
  • A significant pottery find leads to the discovery of an Anglo-Saxon skull.
  • The gender of a presumed warrior is questioned, possibly being a tall female.
  • The team explores the possibility of the cemetery being near prehistoric monuments.
  • Grave goods, including beads and copper wrist clasps, provide insight into the buried individuals.

28:50

"Anglo-Saxon women and Bronze Age burials"

  • A continuous ditch is being investigated, not a henge, with no significant findings to date.
  • An additional trench has been dug to explore a green blob-like feature, yielding no valuable discoveries.
  • A ring ditch is speculated to be prehistoric, possibly containing cremations or reserved for specific activities.
  • A skeleton holding a pot is a unique find, with the pot likely Anglo-Saxon in origin.
  • The alignment of a road serves as the eastern boundary of a cemetery, with uncertainty about its western extent.
  • A tall Anglo-Saxon woman, possibly a warrior, is discovered alongside another woman adorned with jewelry.
  • A late Neolithic or early Bronze Age pottery piece aids in dating a feature, suggesting an early Bronze Age barrow.
  • The discovery of a tall Anglo-Saxon woman without typical jewelry but with a knife and shield is significant.
  • A strategy involving extensive trenching is employed to determine the cemetery's extent, focusing on grave cuts.
  • Excavations reveal potential burials within a Bronze Age barrow, with charcoal and burnt bone findings indicating complex features.

43:07

Ancient Anglo-Saxon artifacts reveal burial site

  • The area where Andrew found Anglo-Saxon artifacts aligns with the location of the cemetery, suggesting it was used by a few families over five generations, dating back mostly to the sixth century.
  • Extraordinary jewelry, including beads made of green and yellow twisted glass, blue trails, and amber, along with women's wrist clasps, helped date the finds to the late fifth or early sixth century.
  • The circular feature turned out to be a frost wedge from the ice age, while the shield boss revealed hidden details like the grip and signs of battle use, leading to the completion of the shield for testing.
  • The site's history spans 4,500 years, including a Bronze Age beaker barrow, an ancient trackway, and the burial plot where Anglo-Saxons began burying their dead around 480 A.D., shedding light on the intimate details of the people who lived there 1,500 years ago.
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