Burial in Later Anglo-Saxon England, C.650-1100 AD

Traditionally the study of early medieval burial practices in England has focused on the furnished burials of the early Anglo-Saxon period with those of the later centuries perceived as uniform and therefore uninteresting. The last decade has seen the publication of many important cemeteries and synthetic works demonstrating that such a simplistic view of later Anglo-Saxon burial is no longer tenable. The reality is rather more complex, with social and political perspectives influencing both the location and mode of burial in this period. This edited volume is the first that brings together papers by leading researchers in the field and illustrates the diversity of approaches being used to study the burials of this period. The overarching theme of the book is differential treatment in death, which is examined at the site-specific, settlement, regional and national level. More specifically, the symbolism of conversion-period grave good deposition, the impact of the church, and aspects of identity, burial diversity and biocultural approaches to cemetery analysis are discussed.

Table of Contents:
Introduction (Annia Cherryson and Jo Buckberry) 1. Cemetery Diversity in the Mid to Late Anglo-Saxon Period in Lincolnshire and Yorkshire (Jo Buckberry) 2. Engendered Bodies and Objects of Memory in Final Phase Graves (Howard Williams) 3. Burial Practice in Seventh-Century Hampshire: St Mary's Stadium in Context (Nick Stoodley) 4. " Such a resting place as is necessary for us in God's sight and fitting in the eyes of the world ": Saxon Southampton and the Development of Churchyard Burial (Annia Kristina Cherryson) 5. An Anglo-Saxon Cemetery at Worcester Cathedral (Christopher Guy) 6. Material Symbolism and Death: Charcoal Burial in Later Anglo-Saxon England (James Holloway) 7. Differentiation in the Later Anglo-Saxon Burial Ritual on the basis of Mental or Physical Impairment: A Documentary Perspective (Sally Crawford) 8. Burying the Socially and Physically Distinctive in Later Anglo-Saxon England (D. M. Hadley) 9. The Bowl Hole Burial Ground: A Late Anglian Cemetery in Northumberland (Sarah Groves) 10. Investigating Social Status Using Evidence of Biological Status: A Case History from Raunds Furnells (Elizabeth Craig and Jo Buckberry)

Review :
The 10 papers here provide a stimulating snapshot of current knowledge and research directions. Particularly refreshing is the forward-looking embrace of inter-disciplinarity, with scientific dating, biocultural approaches and historical scholarship all brought to bear on the archaeology.' -- Chris Scull British Archaeology Jan/Feb 2011 The chapters outlined in this volume will be of clear interest to scholars of medieval disability history and the archaeology of disability more generally. -- William Southwell-Wright, University of Durham H-Disability January 2014 The methods presented in this collection of essays could point the way forward for fruitfully studying similar issues in a range of different historical contexts. -- William Southwell-Wright H-Net January 2014