Bergh Apton Anglo-Saxon cemetery

Bergh Apton Anglo-Saxon cemetery is a late-5th to late-6th century Anglo-Saxon burial site discovered at Bergh Apton, Norfolk.[1] The site was excavated in 1973 and 63 graves were found.[2] The south and west portions of the site had previously been destroyed.[3] The state of preservation of the skeletal remains was described as "very poor" due to the acidity of the soil and the sex of individuals was determined by grave goods.[2][4][5] Grave goods found at the site included weapons, shields, spears and jewellery. One grave, possibly of a minstrel-poet, was found to contain a lyre similar to that found at Sutton Hoo.[2] Twelve of the graves were those of children aged under 12 years.[4] No evidence for an Anglo-Saxon settlement adjacent to the cemetery has been found.[5][6]

Reconstruction of the lyre from the Sutton Hoo ship-burial. A similar instrument was excavated at Bergh Apton.

The artefacts are currently held by Norwich Castle Museum.[2]

See also
  • Burial in Early Anglo-Saxon England

References
  1. Penn, Kenneth; Brugmann, Birte; Høilund Nielsen, Karen (2007). Ayers, Brian; Glazebrook, Jenny (eds.). "Aspects of Anglo-Saxon inhumation burial: Morning Thorpe, Spong Hill, Bergh Apton and Westgarth Gardens". East Anglian Archaeology Reports. Dereham: Norfolk Museums and Archaeology Service (119). ISBN 978-0-905-59445-3.
  2. "Bergh Apton Anglo-Saxon cemetery collection". Museums, Libraries and Archives Council. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  3. Green, Barbara; Rogerson, Andrew (1978). "The Anglo-Saxon Cemetery at Bergh Apton, Norfolk: Catalogue". East Anglian Archaeology Reports. Gressenhall: Norfolk Archaeological Unit (7). OCLC 13595544.
  4. Buckberry, Jo (2000). "Missing, Presumed Buried? Bone Diagenesis and the Under-Representation of Anglo-Saxon Children". Assemblage: The Sheffield Graduate Journal of Archaeology. Sheffield: University of Sheffield. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  5. Spooner, Sarah (16 August 2005). "Parish Summary: Bergh Apton". Norfolk Heritage Explorer. Norfolk Historic Environment Service. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  6. Hoggett, Richard. The Archaeology of the East Anglian Conversion. Woodbridge: The Boydell Press. p. 120. ISBN -978-1-843-83595-0.


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