Phil's Round-Up: Week 4

A rare Saxon bucket and an unusual Bronze Age find

Once again Phil Andrews, Site Director at Barrow Clump, has summed up the archaeological highlights of the week for the blog readers:

The wettest period on site so far, but an excellent week for new discoveries and good progress was made in all of the trenches. The Anglo-Saxon grave count now stands at 20 and there is still potential for finding a few more – however, we are hoping not too many more with just two weeks to go!

The copper alloy rim exposed at the end of last week proved to be the top of a small Saxon bucket, bound with bronze and with traces of the wood surviving. Lynn, our conservator, was called in to undertake the lifting and ensure that no accidents befell this rare and very delicate object. It is now safely boxed and awaiting X-raying and conservation.

A much earlier and unusual object was discovered in a Bronze Age cremation burial, found while removing the mound of the Early Bronze Age barrow. This was part of a stone wristguard used by an archer, similar to the two found with the Amesbury Archer Beaker burial not far away. However, our object had been broken and fashioned into a pendant or whetstone, and was probably an heirloom as it is certainly older than the burial with which it was found.

Next week we open up a new trench in an area not previously investigated … and await further exciting and interesting discoveries!