In April, an incredible archaeological discovery was made in a supposed rubbish pit in Northamptonshire – a medieval necklace! Not only was it carefully made up of 30 pieces and semi-precious stones, but it is also now said to be the most expensive necklace of its type to ever be discovered in Britain. The necklace was discovered alongside an Anglo-Saxon woman (or at least the crowns of her teeth) buried around 630 and 670 BC. The necklace displayed a wide array of curiosities: drop-like garnet pendants, circular wrought gold Roman coins depicting political imagery and the centrepiece is a striking rectangular pendant with a cross motif. This red and green rectangular pendant was adorned with swirls in a cubic arrangement. If this pendant really does resemble a cross, the woman is most likely to have been an important early Christian leader, if not a wealthy, important figure since the ornate and expensive materials used to make this piece most definitely suggest so!
In this abundant burial, other items emerged: 2 decorated pots and a shallow copper dish alongside the necklace and teeth. Thanks to modern analysis, a decorated cross appeared in a block of soil after an x-ray scan. This is another reinforcement of the theory that she was a religious leader. The pots, copper dish and cross could have been buried in the woman’s grave so she could use them in the afterlife but also to show what her life was like when she was alive. Moreover, the cross could also have been placed near her to ensure a smooth transition from death to afterlife. And so, next time you encounter a historic rubbish heap, don’t be quick to make assumptions and check for potential gold discoveries!
Comments