Assume the deposition: The position and effect of curated early Anglo-Saxon objects
Channel: Recording Archaeology
Date: 2017-04-26

Anglo-Saxon inhumation graves from the 5th to early 7th centuries AD were furnished with grave-goods specifically to either display or idealise the identity of the deceased. Studies of these cemeteries depict patterns of how various types of objects, such as weapons or dress fasteners, were positioned on the corpse or around the body in a grave. In some instances, these objects reveal evidence of retention, curation, and an age older than the chronological context of the rest of the grave. These objects are thought to have complex biographies and were possibly heirlooms from past generations. Examples such as brooches or swords would have been worn or carried on a daily basis, and were probably well known throughout the local population and those attending the funeral. The inclusion of these known curated objects would have had a symbolic effect on the remembrance of the deceased and his or her family, creating links to a specific past person, people, or events. The position and visual display of such important items during a funeral created a focal point for the enactment and amplification of social memory, recollecting the complex biography of the object in tandem with the identity of the deceased. As a preliminary investigation into the deposition, placement, and significance of early Anglo-Saxon curated artefacts within inhumation graves, this paper will test the possibility that curated artefacts were positioned in a more visually distinctive manner to display their unique importance for social remembrance in relation to the body of the deceased.

Brian Costello, University of Chester