[Steppes] Viking Burial Site in England
Russell and Erika Kinder
Russell_Erika at comcast.net
Tue Sep 7 11:52:18 PDT 2004
Some of you may have already heard about this, but for those of you who
haven't:
Viking burial site found in England
LONDON (AP) — Archaeologists in northwestern England have found a
burial site of six Viking men and women, complete with swords, spears,
jewelry, fire-making materials and riding equipment, officials said
Monday.
The site, discovered near Cumwhitton, is believed to date to the early
10th century, and archaeologists working there called it the first
Viking burial ground found in Britain. The only other known Viking
cemetery was found in Ingleby east of Cumwhitton. It was excavated in
the 1940s, but the bodies had been cremated and not buried. Local metal
specialist Peter Adams made the find at the end of March and reported
it to the Portable Antiquities Scheme, which is run by the Museums,
Libraries and Archive Council. "This is tremendous news, a unique
discovery which will improve people's understanding of the area and its
history," council chairman Mark Wood said. The Vikings, inhabitants of
Scandinavia from 800 to 1100, traded with, and raided, much of Europe,
often settling there. They invaded and conquered England in 1013. The
burial ground was unearthed when Adams found two copper brooches. The
grave of a Viking woman was found underneath, and further excavation
led to the discovery of the graves of another woman and four men. Among
the items found in the graves were weapons, spurs, a bridle and a
drinking horn, as well as a jet bracelet and a copper alloy belt
fitting. Adams described it as "the find of a lifetime." Rachel Newman,
of Oxford Archaeology North, said: "We could not have expected more
from the excavation of the site. "We knew the brooches found by Mr.
Adams came from a burial of a Viking Age woman, which was exciting and
of great importance in itself. But we did not expect to find five other
graves complete with such a splendid array of artifacts. It truly has
been an amazing few months excavating this extremely important Viking
Age site." Arts Minister Estelle Morris said: "We should all be
grateful to Mr. Adams, who recorded his find so promptly. As a result,
the experts have been able to learn more about this fascinating site
and uncover the secrets of a time capsule more than 1,000 years old."
Some of the items found were to be shown Tuesday at the Tullie House
Museum and Art Gallery in the nearby city of Carlisle.
You can do searches at the BBC and AP sites to find some pictures,
although there aren't many, and none of them are very good.
~ Isabeau
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