The following topics are covered in this page. Clicking on anything in the list will take you to that section. You may also like to read Angela Care Evans discussion about the suggestion that the ship was actually a cenotaph instead of an inhumation. Within each of these classes were further divisions.
Grave goods are partially indicative of the status of the individual.
Several sixth and seventh century village cemeteries show remarkably similar burial practises which include both inhumations and cremations. Inhumation graves show that most pagan Anglo-Saxons were buried in clothes of various fabrics and qualities. Men were often buried with spears, knives and shields while women were generally buried with articles of jewellery, keys, etc. Status is indicated by the type of weapon and in some cases the level of ornamentation. Swords were of such high value that families would often hand them down as heirlooms rather than burying them and only the most important members of the community could expect to own a sword.