The pioneer burial : : a high-status Anglian warrior burial from Wollaston Northamptonshire / / Ian Meadows ; with contributions by Rob Atkins [and eight others] ; illustrations by Olly Dindol, Jacqueline Harding and James Ladocha.

• VerfasserIn: Meadows, Ian,
• TeilnehmendeR: Atkins, Rob, 1968-; Dindol, Olly,; Harding, Jacqueline,; Ladocha, James,
• Place / Publishing House: Oxford : : Archaeopress Archaeology,, [2019]; ©2019
• Year of Publication: 2019
• Edition: 1st ed.
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (82 pages) :; illustrations (some color), maps, facsimiles

Excavations at Wollaston Quarry, near Wellingborough, uncovered a single late 7th century grave, the Pioneer burial. The burial contained artefacts indicative of very high status, with the early to middle Saxon helmet being at the time only the fourth to have been recovered from a burial in England.

Table of Contents

Back Cover -- Cover -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Contents -- List of Figures -- Contributors -- Acknowledgements -- Chapter 1 -- Figure 1.1. Location and sites in Northamptonshire mentioned in the text -- Introduction -- Project background -- Archaeological background -- Topography and geology -- Chapter 2 -- Figure 1.2. The site and its environs with Roman road and cropmarks located -- Figure 1.3. Areas to be excavated and protected areas within the site with Pioneer burial location recorded (after Kidd 1995) -- Figure 1.4. Daily Mail article dated 23 April 1997 -- Figure 1.5. Article in Northampton Chronicle and Echo dated 23 April 1997 -- Figure 1.6. Helmet restored with Ian Meadows directly behind talking to colleagues (Greg Phillips, Graham Cadman, Vikki Pearson, Martin Ellison, Ian Meadows, Rob Atkins, Glenn Foard, Brenda Perryman, Jenny Ballinger and Ann Bond) -- Excavation -- Burial location -- The excavation methodology -- The grave -- The grave goods -- Chapter 3 -- Figure 2.1. Plan of burial showing grave goods -- Figure 2.2. view of the burial, looking south -- Figure 2.3. Vertical view of sword, femurs and part of helmet -- Figure 2.4. Remains of the skull, looking south -- Figure 2.5. Hanging bowl, skull and cobble, looking south-west -- Figure 2.6. Detail of sword grip and knife -- Figure 2.7. Helmet from above -- Figure 2.8. Helmet in ground from side -- Figure 2.10. Helmet getting plastered -- Figure 2.11. Machine excavation trenches around the burial, looking north-west -- Figure 2.9. Helmet in cling film -- Artefacts -- Overview -- The helmet -- Nose to nape band -- The brow band -- External reinforcing ribs -- Lateral bands -- The cheek guards -- The infill plates -- The Boar crest -- The eyebrows and nasal -- The helmet in the grave -- Conservation report on the helmet -- Organic material associated with the helmet.

Hanging bowl -- Analysis of the hanging bowl -- Microscopic examination -- Scientific examination -- Chemical analysis -- Discussion -- Organic material associated with the sword -- Scabbard -- The sword -- Other artefacts -- The knife, buckles, iron rods and clothing hook -- The buckles -- Buckle A (RA2) -- Buckle C (RA3) -- Buckle B (RA1) -- The knife -- The clothing hook -- The iron rods -- Conservation report on the buckles -- Condition -- Descriptions -- RA3, buckle C -- RA1, buckle B -- RA1, side 2 -- RA2, buckle A -- RA4 -- RA4, A-F -- RA4, described as miscellaneous fragments -- RA5, described as plough deposits -- RA5, individual fragments B-D (Fig 3.33). -- Introduction -- Treatment -- Textiles remains possibly relating to bedding -- Introduction -- Textile A -- Textile B -- Conclusion -- Chapter 4 -- Figure 3.1. The helmet, front -- Figure 3.2. The helmet, right side, largely showing interior of left side -- Figure 3.3. The helmet, rear -- Figure 3.4. The helmet, left side -- Figure 3.5. The conserved helmet -- Figure 3.6. Views of the helmet following conservation -- Figure 3.7. The helmet and its component parts -- Figure 3.8. Helmet details -- Figure 3.9. Helmet being X-rayed -- Figure 3.10. X-ray of helmet -- Figure 3.11 Helmet being cleaned -- Figure 3.13. Nick Gore and George Jeavons inspect the helmet in Leicester -- Figure 3.14. Unconserved boar crest -- Figure 3.15. Detail of boar crest after cleaning -- Figure 3.16. Helmet in CT scanner -- Figure 3.17. Results examined on computer -- Figure 3.18. Hanging bowl -- Figure 3.19. The sword -- Figure 3.20. The knife, buckles and clothing hook -- Figure 3.21. X-radiograph of RA3 (buckle C) -- Figure 3.22. RA3 (buckle C), textile seen to left of black line -- Figure 3.23. RA3 (buckle C), other side, semi-circular piece of metal can be seen -- Figure 3.24. X-radiograph of RA2 (buckle A).

Figure 3.25. RA2 (buckle A), after cleaning, side 1 -- Figure 3.26. RA2 (buckle A), after cleaning, side 2 -- Figure 3.27. X-radiograph of RA1 (buckle B) -- Figure 3.28. RA1 (buckle B), side 1 -- Figure 3.29. RA1 (buckle B), side 2 -- Figure 3.30. RA4 -- Figure 3.31. RA5 A, X-radiograph of soil block -- Figure 3.32. RA5 Group A from soil block (side with circular feature) -- Figure 3.33. RA5, individual fragments B-E -- Figure 3.34. Detail of textiles -- Figure 3.35. Textiles -- Human remains -- Skeletal report -- Summary -- Chapter 5 -- The dentition -- The legs -- The skull -- Discussion -- Overview -- The location of the Pioneer burial -- Routeways in relation to the Pioneer burial -- Burial time period -- The River Nene and land boundary -- Wollaston in relation to Saxon administrative organisation -- Nature of the grave -- Barrow mound -- The grave -- Importance of the burial -- Helmet -- Hanging bowl -- Pattern-welded sword -- Pioneer burial and 'Christianity' -- Contemporary probable Christian burial comparisons -- Conclusions -- Figure 5.1. Helmet, hanging bowl and pattern-welded sword -- Figure 5.2. Pioneer burial in its national setting with other Saxon (and Viking) helmets located -- Figure 5.3. View along the line of the Roman road to the Pioneer burial, looking south-west -- Figure 5.4. Artist's impression of the Pioneer helmet -- Bibliography.