The Bamburgh Bowl-Hole Anglian cemetery: a contextual study
Lead Research Organisation:
Durham University
Department Name: Archaeology
Abstract
This detailed contextual study of a well-excavated and preserved early Medieval cemetery, associated with the documented royal site of Bamburgh Castle, uses a range of skeletal, archaeological and scientific methods of analysis in order to address specific questions of early Medieval cultural contact, population movement, status relations and religious change in the 7th- 8th centuries in northern England. Specific objectives include gaining a better understanding of regional origins, relative status and quality of life of the people buried, and to explore correlations between the cemetery archaeology, and literary and historical sources relating to this documented early Anglo-Saxon royal site.
Organisations
Publications
Roberts C
(2010)
Adaptation of populations to changing environments: Bioarchaeological perspectives on health for the past, present and future
in Bulletins et mémoires de la Société d'anthropologie de Paris
Groves S
(2010)
Burial in Later Anglo-Saxon England, c.650 to 1100AD.
Groves SE
(2013)
Mobility histories of 7th-9th century AD people buried at early medieval Bamburgh, Northumberland, England.
in American journal of physical anthropology
| Title | Skeleton Science 1 |
| Description | Exhibition on the study and interpretation of archaeological human remains, Fulling Mill Museum, Durham University, Durham (included the NERC and AHRC funded research) |
| Type Of Art | Artistic/Creative Exhibition |
| Year Produced | 2012 |
| Impact | positive feedback; school visits; led to Durham University seed corn funding for creation of school teaching resource |
| URL | https://www.dur.ac.uk/archaeology/research/impact/dead/ |
| Title | Skeleton Science 2 |
| Description | Exhibition on the study and interpretation of archaeological human remains, Thackray Medical Museum, Leeds (included the NERC and AHRC funded research) |
| Type Of Art | Artistic/Creative Exhibition |
| Year Produced | 2014 |
| Impact | Positive feedback. Teacher's resource pack created and taken up by schools visiting |
| URL | https://www.dur.ac.uk/archaeology/research/impact/dead/ |
| Description | This detailed contextual study of a well-excavated and preserved early Medieval cemetery, associated with the documented royal site of Bamburgh Castle, used a range of skeletal, archaeological and scientific methods of analysis in order to address specific questions of early Medieval cultural contact, population movement, status relations and religious change in the 7th-8th centuries in northern England. Specific objectives include gaining a better understanding of regional origins, relative status and quality of life of the people buried, and to explore correlations between the cemetery archaeology, and literary and historical sources relating to this documented early Anglo-Saxon royal site. We found that many people buried at Bamburgh were not locally born and raised with some possibly even coming from as far away as north Africa. There were also differences in health between the 'origin groups'. Diet was surprisingly lacking in a marine component (a coastal site), and there was much dental disease, mores than many contemporary populations. |
| Exploitation Route | Addressing debates about migration into the UK, and that it has been happening for a long time; we show a deeper time perspective. Health differences were also seen between migrants and locally born and raised people who were buried at Bamburg; again this can contribute to debates about the health of migrants today versus indigenous communities |
| Sectors | Healthcare,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| Description | Exhibition (Skeleton Science) Public lectures |
| First Year Of Impact | 2008 |
| Sector | Education,Healthcare,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| Impact Types | Societal |
| Title | Bamburgh Bowl-Hole Anglian Cemetery: Microsoft Excel spreadsheet |
| Description | Macroscopic data on the skeletal analysis (preservation, age, sex, metrical and non-metrical data, pathological conditions |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | None yet as we are still writing up a monograph |
| Title | Bamburgh Bowl-Hole Anglian cemetery: Illustrations |
| Description | Illustrations of skeletons in graves, non-metric traits, and pathological bones |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | None yet as we are writing up the project for a monograph |
| Title | Dataset includes the geophysical survey and the pilot aDNA data |
| Description | Data generated form a geophysical survey and for the pilot DNA analysis |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | Noen yet as we are writing up the project for a monograph |
| Title | The database is of the the funerary contextual data and the stable isotopic data |
| Description | The grave goods, burial positions etc and the raw stable isotopic data |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | None yet as we are writing up the project for a monograph |
| Description | 'Death and disease: stories from our ancestors': Friends of Swaledale Museum, Reeth, N Yorkshire |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Lots of questions, including on the NERC and AHRC funded research more requests for talks |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012 |
| Description | Bodies in the Bowl Hole - Life and Death in Anglo-Saxon Bamburgh |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Tees Archaeology Day School "Angles on the Saxons, Stockton Increase in awareness of the project and what can be learned from this type of study |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2007 |
| Description | Bodies in the Bowl Hole - Life and Death in Anglo-Saxon Bamburgh. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Newcastle Historical Studies Society Emails from some of the audience |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2008 |
| Description | Feasting or Fasting? Diet and Health in Early Medieval Northumbria |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | 5000 Years of Death and Disease. Festival of British Archaeology Day School, Durham University. Increase in interest in the project |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2008 |
| Description | Gresham College Free Lectures |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Public lecture generated much interest in the overall subject matter of bioarchaeology and generated a number of questions |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| URL | http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/the-archaeology-of-disease-documented-in-skeletons |
| Description | Harmby and Spennithorne Women's Institute |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Interest generated questions |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| Description | Human remains from the Bowl Hole Anglo-Saxon cemetery, Bamburgh |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Public lecture given to the Northumberland Archaeological Group as the project was around Bamburgh Castle; new information about the people buried there disseminated more interest in the project via emails |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2008 |
| Description | Lecture to Snape Local History Group |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Lecture on the study of archaeological human remains, incorporating the AHRC and NERC research. Questions pertaining to the methods used (stable isotope and aDNA analyses) request for another public lecture |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| Description | The Bowl Hole Cemetery, Bamburgh: Life and Death in Early Medieval Northumberland |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Teesside Archaeological Society contacts with public |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2010 |
| Description | Wensleydale Society |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Interested public group with may questions sparked and opinions changed |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Where did people buried in the Bowl-Hole, Bamburgh originate? Some answers and a general overview of developments in recognizing migrations in bioarchaeology |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Newcastle Antiquaries, Newcastle Some emails about the talk |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2009 |