[Steppes] Viking Burial Site in England

[Russell and Erika Kinder]

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