More on the Anglo-Saxon Woman Buried with Cow

From The Daily Mail Online

Who was she? Mystery of the bejewelled Anglo-Saxon woman found buried beside sacrificial cow in unique discovery

• The female skeleton was found with brooches and hundreds of amber and decorated beads
• Experts believe that such burial rituals indicate wealth and power

PUBLISHED: 21:26 EST, 2 July 2012 | UPDATED: 02:25 EST, 3 July 2012

The remains of a bejewelled Anglo-Saxon woman discovered in a burial site beside a cow have been described as a 'bizarre find' by archaeologists.
It is thought the grave, which was unearthed in Oakington, Cambridgeshire, by Manchester Metropolitan and Central Lancashire university students, is the first of its kind to be discovered in the UK.

Researchers initially believed the animal skeleton was a horse, but after further analysis it emerged that the woman’s bones were actually lying alongside those of a cow.

While human skeletons – from male warriors - have previously been uncovered next to horses the discovery of the woman next to a cow which dates from the 5th century, is believed to be a fresh sight.

There are only 31 horse burials in Britain and they are all with men and student Jake Nuttall said the team had been excited when they thought the find was a horse, but he said the discovery that it was a cow made it ‘even more bizarre.’
The female skeleton was found with brooches and hundreds of amber and decorated beads. She also had a complete chatelaine [keychain] set, which is an iron girdle and a symbol of her high indicating she was of a high standing in society.
Co-director of the excavation, Dr Duncan Sayer, from the University of Central Lancashire, reportedly told the BBC: 'This is the first animal to be discovered with a woman from this period and it's really interesting that it's a cow, a symbol of economic and domestic wealth and power.
'It's also incredibly early to find any grave of a woman buried with such obvious wealth.'
The findings point to the woman having access to the community's wealth with Dr Sayer speculating that she was a member of the regional elite. The objects are believed to describe her identity to the people who attended her funeral.
Dr Faye Simpson, from Manchester Metropolitan, said a decision to sacrifice a cow would not have been taken lightly because its tremendous source of food and the huge cost of rearing it.
Dr Sayer said the find was so special she didn’t anticipate discovering anything as significant in her lifetime.

5th Century CE Anglo-Saxon Woman with Cow Burial

Yes, you read that right - she was buried with a cow!  She must have been a very special lady...

Cow and woman found in Cambridgeshire Anglo-Saxon dig
25 June 2012 Last updated at 09:10 ET

Archaeologists excavating an Anglo-Saxon cemetery in Cambridgeshire say the discovery of a woman buried with a cow is a "genuinely bizarre" find.

The grave was uncovered in Oakington by students from Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of Central Lancashire.

At first it was thought the animal skeleton was a horse.

Photo from article, was not ascribed but might be from
Jake Nuttall, as other photo in article was by him.

Student Jake Nuttall said: "Male warriors might be buried with horses, but a woman and a cow is new to us."

He added: "We were excited when we thought we had a horse, but realising it was a cow made it even more bizarre."

Co-director of the excavation, Dr Duncan Sayer, from the University of Central Lancashire, said: "Animal burials are extremely rare, anyway.

"There are only 31 horse burials in Britain and they are all with men.

"This is the first animal to be discovered with a woman from this period - the late 5th Century - and it's really interesting that it's a cow, a symbol of economic and domestic wealth and power.

"It's also incredibly early to find any grave of a woman buried with such obvious wealth."

'Unique' burial

The skeleton was found with grave goods including brooches and hundreds of amber and decorated glass beads.

"She also had a complete chatelaine [keychain] set, which is an iron girdle and a symbol of her high status," Dr Sayer said.

"It indicates she had access to the community's wealth.

"She is almost certainly a regional elite - a matriarchal figure buried with the objects that describe her identity to the people who attended her funeral."

Joint director Dr Faye Simpson, from Manchester Metropolitan, said: "A cow is a big thing to give up.

"It's a source of food and something that would have been very expensive to keep, so to sacrifice it would be a big decision.

"They would have wanted to give her something really important to show respect and they wouldn't have done that for just anybody.

"That's why we don't find cows with burials," she said.

Dr Sayer added: "The cow burial is unique in Europe which makes this an incredibly exciting and important find.

"I don't think I'll find anything as significant as this again in my lifetime."

Ancient Anglo-Saxon Female Burial Uncovered

From National Geogrpahic Daily News:

Photos: Bejeweled Anglo-Saxon Found in Christian "Burial Bed"

Sleeping Beauty

Published March 21, 2012

Photographs courtesy University of Cambridge

The skeleton of a young Christian noblewoman, who was laid to rest on a "burial bed" some 1,400 years ago, is giving archaeologists precious clues to the earliest days of the English church.

Unearthed in 2011 in a village near Cambridge, the teenager wore the badge of her faith in the shape of an exquisite gold-and-garnet cross, found on her chest and just visible in the picture above. The ornate treasure marks the grave as one of the earliest known Christian burials in Anglo-Saxon England, researchers from the University of Cambridge announced last week.

Christians previously lived and died in Britain under Roman rule. But the newfound grave dates to the mid-seventh century, when Anglo-Saxons—the Germanic peoples who founded the English nation and language—were starting to convert to Christianity.

In addition, the wooden burial bed on which the 16-year-old was placed is one of only a handful of such finds discovered in Britain, the team says.

—James Owen

Published March 21, 201