Digital copy of image of skeletons found in the late 1940s during excavations by Brian Hope-Taylor

Description Digital copy of image of skeletons found in the late 1940s during excavations by Brian Hope-Taylor

Date 1948 to 1949

Collection Papers of Brian Hope-Taylor, archaeologist, Cambridge, England

Catalogue Number SC 727134

Category On-line Digital Images

Copy of D 13183

Scope and Content Triple burial, Farthing Down, Surrey This flat grave contained three skeletons. The remains on the left belonged to a young man who was buried with a sword, a purse-mount and a spear. The skeleton on the right belonged to a 12-year-old boy with belt fittings and an iron buckle discovered nearby. The central skeleton belonged to a middle-aged woman whose burial was unusual in the context of the adjacent burials, as she had no grave goods. Anglo-Saxon cemeteries are the best source of evidence on Anglo-Saxon life, as they often contain a wealth of grave goods. These remains also provide information on what was expected in the afterlife, as valued personal possessions appear to have been indicators of social hierarchies or groups within Anglo-Saxon society. Farthing Down is an Anglo-Saxon cemetery dating to the late 6th/early 7th century AD. In 1945 Brian Hope-Taylor discovered Romano-British field systems in the same area. This research led to the 1948-9 excavations at the Anglo-Saxon cemetery. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

Accession Number 2001/164

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/727134

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap