Smythes Corner (Shrublands Quarry), Coddenham, Suffolk The Examination and Reconstruction of an Anglo-Saxon Bed Burial
Author(s): Jacqui Watson
During the excavation of this Anglo-Saxon cemetery in 1999, grave 308 was recognised to be that of a bed burial within a chambered grave. There are well over a hundred fragments of metalwork associated with this grave, and most have mineral preserved organic remains which have been recorded and where possible identified. This report sets out to identify which pieces of ironwork were part of the bed structure, and use the organic material preserved on them to produce a reconstruction of the original wooden bedstead. The remaining metalwork has been interpreted as belonging to a grave cover, which has also been reconstructed on the basis of the mineral preserved wood on the various fittings. The analysis of all the metalwork concludes that the bed had been dismantled to place it within the wooden chamber, and the report includes many illustrations to support how the grave was laid out, and how the bed might have looked when in use.
- Report Number:
- 60/2006
- Series:
- Research Department Reports
- Pages:
- 29
- Keywords:
- Early Medieval Iron Mineral Preserved Organic
