Anglo-Saxon burial mounds
Encyclopedia
Anglo-Saxon burial mounds refers to the burial mounds - also known as barrows or tumuli - that were produced during the late sixth and seventh centuries CE in Anglo-Saxon England. Such barrows were "princely burials", being of high status individuals who would have been members of the social elite within their local tribal group. Some of the most prestigious were "chamber burials", containing a richly furnished wooden chamber within the mound, but in others the corpse had simply been buried into the ground and had a mound erected on top.
Early Anglo-Saxon burial involved both inhumation and cremation, with burials then being deposited in cemeteries. At this time, the Anglo-Saxons adhered to a pagan religion, but as Christianity was introduced in the seventh century, it gradually became the dominant and eventually sole religion amongst the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. Many of those buried in barrows were pagan, but others were instead Christian, and it is usually impossible for archaeologists to know which religion an individual belonged to.
Earlier peoples living in Britain during the Neolithic
and Bronze Ages
had also constructed barrows for use as places of burial, something that was recognised by the Anglo-Saxon burial builders, who in many cases re-used these earlier barrows for their own uses.
Tumulus burials were not restricted to the Anglo-Saxons, but had a long pedigree in prehistoric and Early Medieaval Europe. By this latter date, when the Anglo-Saxon society existed, such burials were not restricted to any one cultural or ethnic group, with Germanic-speaking, Slavic-speaking and Celtic-speaking peoples of the period all taking part in such a burial practice for elite members of their societies.
In the Roman Iron Age, whilst the construction of barrows had ended in Britain, it had continued in areas of continental Europe free from Roman domination. The Hallstatt culture
which existed in central Europe between c.750 and 400 BCE utilised chamber burials within barrows as the way of commemorating deceased members of the social elite. The most prominent known Hallstatt example is the Hochdorf Chieftain's Grave
, which dates from c.550 BCE and which was richly laden with grave goods.
By the sixth century CE, when the practice of building burial mounds is first adopted by the Anglo-Saxons, it was also being practiced by other Germanic-speaking peoples on continental Europe. In the German region of Thuringia
, several important chamber burial barrows have been excavated, including at a cemetery in Trossingen
which dates to c.580 CE, thereby being contemporary with similar Anglo-Saxon sites. More importantly for the development of Anglo-Saxon barrow burials, the practice had been adopted by the Merovingian dynasty
Franks
, who lived in what is now France, from the mid fifth century CE. It was from these Merovingian Franks that the Anglo-Saxons likely adopted the practice.
. They were adherents of a pagan religion.
Throughout the sixth century, te south-eastern Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Kent
developed political ties with the Merovingian kings in Francia, with their respective royal families eventually being sealed through a marriage alliance. It was through this connection that the Kentish Anglo-Saxons adopted the Merovingian practice of burying members of their social elite in large tumuli. The importance and influence of the Kentish kingdom across the south of England subsequently led to Anglo-Saxon peoples north of the river Thames also adopting the practice.
Pollington also remarked that "the burial chamber was an idealised portrayal of the 'house of the dead', the last resting place of the deceased into which they would welcome those who sought them out through spirit travel." Weston Wyly interpreted them as being symbolic of the pregnant belly of the earth, into which the corpse, representing the human seed, was planted.
believed that this first stage had a symbolic significance in setting aside an inner and an outer zone between where the burial was going to be built and the outside world around it. The second step in the process involved a grave cut then being made into the ground, with enough space either for an inhumation burial or for an entire burial chamber to be constructed. In the case of some inhumation burials, a step or platform was cut into one of the ends of the grave so that mourners at the funeral could kneel down and arrange the corpse and their grave goods. In certain cases, the grave-cut, or at least its bottom, was sealed with clay prior to the body then being placed into it with their grave goods.
With the body then in the grave, a funerary service would have taken place, involving the performance of certain rituals and the eating of a graveside meal. A covering would then have been placed over the body, which was usually textile but in some cases was instead made up of hazel poles or stakes. In the case of chamber burials, it is at this point that the chamber that the body was in would have been sealed up with a wooden roof. At this point the grave would have been complete, and the next step would have been to build the earthen mound on top. Some of this would have come from the ring ditch surrounding the barrow, although other soil would have come from the surrounding area. It is possible that when the mound was finally constructed, a timber post would have been inserted into the top, marking the burial.
Early Anglo-Saxon burial involved both inhumation and cremation, with burials then being deposited in cemeteries. At this time, the Anglo-Saxons adhered to a pagan religion, but as Christianity was introduced in the seventh century, it gradually became the dominant and eventually sole religion amongst the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. Many of those buried in barrows were pagan, but others were instead Christian, and it is usually impossible for archaeologists to know which religion an individual belonged to.
Earlier peoples living in Britain during the Neolithic
Neolithic British Isles
The Neolithic British Isles refers to the period of British, Irish and Manx history that spanned from circa 4000 to circa 2,500 BCE. The final part of the Stone Age in the British Isles, it was a part of the greater Neolithic, or "New Stone Age", across Europe.During the preceding Mesolithic...
and Bronze Ages
Bronze Age Britain
Bronze Age Britain refers to the period of British history that spanned from c. 2,500 until c. 800 BC. Lasting for approximately 1700 years, it was preceded by the era of Neolithic Britain and was in turn followed by the era of Iron Age Britain...
had also constructed barrows for use as places of burial, something that was recognised by the Anglo-Saxon burial builders, who in many cases re-used these earlier barrows for their own uses.
Background
In the Roman Iron Age, whilst the construction of barrows had ended in Britain, it had continued in areas of continental Europe free from Roman domination. The Hallstatt culture
Hallstatt culture
The Hallstatt culture was the predominant Central European culture from the 8th to 6th centuries BC , developing out of the Urnfield culture of the 12th century BC and followed in much of Central Europe by the La Tène culture.By the 6th century BC, the Hallstatt culture extended for some...
which existed in central Europe between c.750 and 400 BCE utilised chamber burials within barrows as the way of commemorating deceased members of the social elite. The most prominent known Hallstatt example is the Hochdorf Chieftain's Grave
Hochdorf Chieftain's Grave
The Hochdorf Chieftain's Grave is a richly-furnished Celtic burial chamber dating from 530 BC. An amateur archaeologist discovered it in 1977 near Hochdorf an der Enz in Baden-Württemberg, Germany...
, which dates from c.550 BCE and which was richly laden with grave goods.
By the sixth century CE, when the practice of building burial mounds is first adopted by the Anglo-Saxons, it was also being practiced by other Germanic-speaking peoples on continental Europe. In the German region of Thuringia
Thuringia
The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....
, several important chamber burial barrows have been excavated, including at a cemetery in Trossingen
Trossingen
Trossingen is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated in a region called Baar, between the Swabian Alb and the Black Forest. Stuttgart is about an hour away, Lake Constance about half an hour, and the source of the river Danube can be reached in about twenty minutes by car.Trossingen...
which dates to c.580 CE, thereby being contemporary with similar Anglo-Saxon sites. More importantly for the development of Anglo-Saxon barrow burials, the practice had been adopted by the Merovingian dynasty
Merovingian dynasty
The Merovingians were a Salian Frankish dynasty that came to rule the Franks in a region largely corresponding to ancient Gaul from the middle of the 5th century. Their politics involved frequent civil warfare among branches of the family...
Franks
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
, who lived in what is now France, from the mid fifth century CE. It was from these Merovingian Franks that the Anglo-Saxons likely adopted the practice.
Introduction
The Anglo-Saxon peoples had migrated to Britain during the fifth century CE, settling primarily along the eastern areas of what is now EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. They were adherents of a pagan religion.
Throughout the sixth century, te south-eastern Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Kent
Kingdom of Kent
The Kingdom of Kent was a Jutish colony and later independent kingdom in what is now south east England. It was founded at an unknown date in the 5th century by Jutes, members of a Germanic people from continental Europe, some of whom settled in Britain after the withdrawal of the Romans...
developed political ties with the Merovingian kings in Francia, with their respective royal families eventually being sealed through a marriage alliance. It was through this connection that the Kentish Anglo-Saxons adopted the Merovingian practice of burying members of their social elite in large tumuli. The importance and influence of the Kentish kingdom across the south of England subsequently led to Anglo-Saxon peoples north of the river Thames also adopting the practice.
Purpose
Various archaeologists and historians have discussed why the barrows were built by the Anglo-Saxons and for what purpose. Anglo-Saxon specialist Stephen Pollington noted that they were ways of creating "a permanent mark on the landscape" which allowed them to claim "the territory and the right to hold it".Pollington also remarked that "the burial chamber was an idealised portrayal of the 'house of the dead', the last resting place of the deceased into which they would welcome those who sought them out through spirit travel." Weston Wyly interpreted them as being symbolic of the pregnant belly of the earth, into which the corpse, representing the human seed, was planted.
Construction
The construction and burial within a burial mound would have been a lengthier process than ordinary Anglo-Saxon inhumation or cremation burials, with funerary rites and preparations having lasted for at least a week. The first step in a barrow burial would have been the removal of a circular area of topsoil, which was then encircled with a ditch where the soil had been dug even deeper. Archaeologist Martin CarverMartin Carver
Martin Oswald Hugh Carver FSA , is Emeritus Professor of Archaeology at the University of York, England, director of the Sutton Hoo Research Project and a leading exponent of new methods in excavation and survey. He specialises in the archaeology of early Medieval Europe...
believed that this first stage had a symbolic significance in setting aside an inner and an outer zone between where the burial was going to be built and the outside world around it. The second step in the process involved a grave cut then being made into the ground, with enough space either for an inhumation burial or for an entire burial chamber to be constructed. In the case of some inhumation burials, a step or platform was cut into one of the ends of the grave so that mourners at the funeral could kneel down and arrange the corpse and their grave goods. In certain cases, the grave-cut, or at least its bottom, was sealed with clay prior to the body then being placed into it with their grave goods.
With the body then in the grave, a funerary service would have taken place, involving the performance of certain rituals and the eating of a graveside meal. A covering would then have been placed over the body, which was usually textile but in some cases was instead made up of hazel poles or stakes. In the case of chamber burials, it is at this point that the chamber that the body was in would have been sealed up with a wooden roof. At this point the grave would have been complete, and the next step would have been to build the earthen mound on top. Some of this would have come from the ring ditch surrounding the barrow, although other soil would have come from the surrounding area. It is possible that when the mound was finally constructed, a timber post would have been inserted into the top, marking the burial.