"Archaeologists in Suffolk, on England's east coast, have uncovered a nationally significant early medieval burial ground-most strikingly, a "princely" grave in which two individuals were laid to rest alongside a fully harnessed horse, weapons, and personal items. Dating to the 7th century, the discovery adds vivid new detail to what elite power and identity looked like in early medieval England."
""Excavating a section of the Sizewell Link Road has been an exciting experience for me and the team," says Len Middleton, the Project Officer leading the excavation. "The site is an early Anglo-Saxon barrow cemetery dating from the 6th to 7th centuries, with both inhumation and cremation burials, many furnished with weapons, jewellery, and vessels. Soil conditions have resulted in little preservation - we are instead left with striking sand silhouettes that capture the outlines of the bodies in remarkable detail.""
The burial ground near Theberton on England's east coast dates to the 6th–7th centuries and includes at least 11 barrows with both cremation and inhumation burials. The cemetery was arranged on a prominent landscape point, indicating visibility and symbolic importance. Many graves were furnished with weapons, jewellery, and vessels. Sandy soils caused poor bone preservation but left striking sand silhouettes that preserve body outlines. One high-status barrow contains two individuals and a fully harnessed horse alongside weapons and personal items, reflecting elite burial traditions. Oxford Cotswold Archaeology is excavating the site during work for the future Sizewell C power station.
Read at Medievalists.net
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