As we reach the halfway point of this season on site we are making excellent progress. So far we have excavated and recorded seven of the 13 Anglo-Saxon graves. Initial analysis of the skeletal remains is already revealing much detail about the lives of the individuals who lived, and were subsequently buried, in the area.One male skeleton was particularly informative to Wessex Archaeology’s Osteoarchaeologist Jackie McKinley. The size of the bones clearly indicated that this was a large man, with the areas of muscle attachment to the bone showing that he must have been of muscular build. On closer inspection it was revealed that he would have suffered from a condition known as DISH (diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis). This leads to ossification of spinal ligaments resulting in a ‘dripped candle wax’ appearance to the spine. He was also suffering from arthritis in his neck. Studying the condition of the bone allowed Jackie to assess the age of the individual as between 50 and 80 years old, one of the older individuals found on site.
Further excitement regarding the Anglo-Saxon graves came in the form of 25 beads from a female burial. These were found alongside the left arm and were highly decorated.Activity this week also involved the careful lifting of the second Bronze Age cremation urn. It is now awaiting the delicate process of excavating the deposits within it.
Written by Angus Forshaw