One of Britain’s largest burial sites has been discovered

A group of archaeologists discovered a burial site in Buckinghamshire containing 140 people. The site is a window into the way people lived in the 5th century in England. The site uncovered many personal items as well.

The burial site

The burial site was discovered along the HS2 route near Wendover, Buckinghamshire, as reported by The Guardian. The HS2 route is popular among archaeologists and has 60 sites that have been worked on over the last three years.

Archaeologists have been working on this site for almost a year. They found 138 graves with 141 inhumation burials - dug out holes for the body to be placed in - as well as 5 cremation burials. Which archaeologists believe is one of the largest Anglo-Saxon burial sites in Britain.

The researchers also discovered over 2,000 beads, 89 brooches, 40 buckles, 51 knives, 15 spearheads, and 7 shield bosses.

Dr Rachel Wood, the lead archaeologist for Fusion JV, the company that led the research, said:

It’s rare to discover Anglo-Saxon cemeteries, especially with this many individuals – men, women and children – and an amazing range of grave goods.

What does this mean?

One of the skeletons that was unearthed is believed to be of a male aged between 17 and 24 at the time of the death. The remains were found with a sharp iron object embedded in its vertebrae, suggesting they suffered a violent death.

One of the other set of remains that were analysed is suspected to be a female. This one was found with a variety of personal items, including an ornate pale green glass bowl which indicates that the person was of high status. Researchers also found various rings, brooches, iron belt fittings, and even ivory objects in the grave.

Dr Rachel Wood explained how the objects found in the graves can help understand how people lived back then:

The fifth and sixth centuries are not ones we know a lot about, and all the objects we found will be able to tell us a lot about these people. It gives us a great snapshot of society.

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