Appearence and tactics of early 5th century Saxons.

[ambrosius]

Hi Robert,

True enough, point taken, the continuity would have had to be outside Roman Britain. I was with my head on top of a tumulus, a form of burial monument...

hock: Yikes! Still attached to the rest of you, I hope! :lol:
And not: 'buried up to your neck in it', either, one would wish... 8)

... that, like inhumation, tend to be overlooked as indeed continuous. But you're right about weapons.

Speaking of barrows, there's an article in the latest issue
of the Kent Archaeological Society newsletter, about an excavation at
Bradstow School, Broadstairs:

"During May & June of 2006, Archaeology South East excavated a large
Bronze-Age round barrow at Bradstow School, following evaluation of
the site by the Trust for Thanet Archaeology the preceding January.

Bradstow School has before produced significant archaeological remains.
Hurd's excavations of 1910-11 found one round barrow containing nine
crouched, Bronze Age inhumations, as well as 30 Anglo-Saxon graves.
Further work was carried out between 1970 and 1974 by the British
Museum, finding a further 60 Anglo-Saxon burials, as well as the ring ditches of additional round barrows. Two further Saxon graves were also
uncovered at the school by Canterbury Archaeological Trust in 2003.

The 2006 barrow is therefore part of a monumantal prehistoric cemetary
situated on the East face of a promontory commanding the Thanet coast,
which was later re-used by the Saxons....

Aside from the barrow, at least three 'four-post' structures could be
discerned during the excavation. Dating for these structures is uncertain.
Preliminary estimates put an Iron Age date to their construction, but full
analysis of the pottery is still awaited, and a Saxon date cannot yet be
ruled-out."

This is another example of what you were talking about before, I think.
Though in this case, there is a clear gap between the original Bronze Age
burials in this cemetary and the Anglo-Saxon burials. Even allowing for
the possible Iron Age date on the wooden structures, there is still nothing
between the 1st & 5th centuries here to suggest continuity of interment
from Iron Age Celtic to early Anglo-Saxon. It just seems to be the case
that early Anglo-Saxons preferred to be buried in pre-existing cemetaries
(as far as they could still be distinguished in the geography of the land)
as this appeared to be 'hallowed-ground' to them. And a Bronze Age
barrow would still have been a noticeable monument in the 5th c. :wink:

Cheers,
Ambrosius/Mike[/quote]