Social Structure
You may also like to read Angela Care Evans discussion about the suggestion that the ship was actually a cenotaph instead of an inhumation.
Social Structure
Anglo-Saxon society in the seventh century encompassed a complex
social structure with a hierarchy consisting of free, half-free (laets) and
slave classes. 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.
During the seventh century it was the right of all free men to carry arms and when they were buried their weapons were positioned with them in the grave (see Armoury). 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. Most free men would have owned a spear and perhaps a shield manufactured from wood and leather. Men of lower social rank and slaves were often buried with knives used for general purposes rather than as weapons (Drewett etal 1988:259-261).
Female Inhumations The variety of goods in identifiably female inhumations is far greater than for male burials. Grave goods generally indicate activities associated with domestic work and control of the household. Female graves often have iron keys, latch-lifters and key shaped objects called girdle-hangers that indicate a position of responsibility as a key-bearer . Scholars believe that keys and girdle-hangers serve a symbolic function to indicate the trustworthiness and associated status of a housekeeper rather than the 'lady of the house'(Drewett etal 1988:263-264). Jewellery in the form of pins, necklaces of monochrome beads, gold pendants and silver of bronze slip-rings and chatelaines are reasonably common in female graves. Women of high status were buried in elaborate costume with the relative value of the grave goods indicating the status of the individual (Geate in Carver 1992:85).
Other female grave goods indicate an association with sewing and weaving. In a number of cemeteries in Kent thread boxes containing scraps of fabric and strands of thread have survived. Rings attached to the elaborately decorated boxes indicate that women generally wore them hanging from the waist. These may have served both a functional and symbolic purpose indicating social status (Drewett etal 1988:264- 265). The Sutton Hoo ship contained traces of considerable amounts of fabric of various weaves used both as a wrapping for treasure objects but also as a valued item in and of itself. (see Textiles) One must assume that the inclusion of textiles in the burial indicate the value of textile production in seventh century society. The archaeological record of textiles must be pieced together from small traces of fabric, the impression of the weave left in corroded iron objects and its association with objects of high value.
Types of Burials
Burial practices of the middle Anglo-Saxon period represent a
transitional period between the widespread pagan practices of previous
centuries and the later widespread practice of churchyard Christian
burial. Helen Geate (Carver 1992:83-94) describes four distinct types of
burials, three of which are represented at the Sutton Hoo site.
Type 1: 'Final Phase' burials
These burials are typical of the seventh and early eighth century. Up to half of the graves have some grave goods, but far fewer than would have been found in similar sites of the previous centuries. Examination and classification of the grave goods can determine the age, gender and social status of the individual buried or cremated and the structure and size of the society as a whole.Type 2: Princely burials
The ship burial at Sutton Hoo represents this type. They are usually found beneath an extensive mound with a large number of high quality grave goods. A number of researchers link the preponderance of princely burials during the seventh century to the emergence of royal dynasties and increased social complexity. The fact of a burial mound alone is probably an indicator of status independent of any grave goods.Type 3: Unfurnished burials
This type of burial is particularly difficult to date accurately as it is characterised by the almost total absence of grave goods. Dating of the site is determined by radiometric and stratigraphic methods which are generally less reliable than artefactual dating. Nevertheless such sites appear to be contemporary with furnished sites. In the seventh century documentary evidence records the conversion of English kings to Christianity and the establishment of the earliest church buildings. A number of unfurnished cemeteries exist in conjunction with church excavations, however, most type 3 sites show no structure in the vicinity. It is possible that the relatively low number of churches in existence in seventh century England explains the burial sites not situated near a church but whose population still acknowledged Christian beliefs and burial practices.Type 4: Deviant Burials
Archaeologists often define deviant burials as execution cemeteries or battlefield cemeteries. These too, have few if any grave goods but can be identified by an unusual positioning of both the grave and the body within the grave. Skeletal remains show evidence of ritual abuse or mutilation carried out immediately before or after death. The flat graves situated around the mound at Sutton Hoo contain a number of these types of burials.
There are a number of Christian elements evident amid the pagan
rituals of Sutton Hoo. These include a pair of christening spoons
inscribed Saulos and Paulos found in association with a set of ten silver bowls inscribed with chased cruciform
designs of large equal-armed crosses. This type of inscription and
decoration is common to similar bowls found at other sites of Christian
tradition. The gold and cloisonne scabbard
bosses are ornamented with a specifically Christian form of a cross
(Bruce-Mitford 1975:707-710).
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