it s just one of an array of artifacts from fragments of pottery, perhaps from north africa, to a tiny carved peg. this little object is manufactured from animal bone. could be a peg for fora gaming board. it suggests people were coming to the cemetery to meet up. the living and the dead existing together. it s notjust a place where people are being buried, but it s a place where communities are coming together. they are burying their dead. but they re also undertaking other forms of activity and social practice, including eating and drinking and feasting. the items unearthed in the cemetery suggest that the people were of a high status. the next step is to work out exactly who they were. archaeologists are onlyjust beginning to scratch the surface at this unusual cemetery. they hope their excavation will reveal much more about the medieval way of life that s remained an enigma for so long. rebecca morrelle, bbc news, cardiff.
fora gaming board. kind of cribbage or some sort of game? yes, yes. a medieval version. yes, something like that. it suggests people were coming to the cemetery to meet up, eat and drink the living and the dead existing together. we tend to think of graveyards as sort of enclosed spaces that we don t really go to, but they probably would have been quite central to life in the past. and it s notjust a place where people are being buried, but it s a place where communities are coming together. they are burying their dead, but they re also undertaking other forms of activity and social practice, including eating and drinking and feasting. no nearby settlement has yet been found and the dig is creating a perplexing picture. the items unearthed in the cemetery suggest wealth that the people there were of high status. that s what we re trying to find out as part of our work is what exactly is going on, who are these people being buried here? the people interred here have access
worn in kind of a funny way. that might indicate the use of teeth as tools. maybe for textile work, leatherwork, basketry. where they re pulling something through their front teeth. got something that looks like glass. what s being found alongside the skeletons is posing even more of a puzzle. it is glass! a shard of fine french glass has just been discovered. hopefully the rim from a cone beaker. so it would have looked like an ice cream cone and it probably was imported alongside wine in barrels from the bordeaux region of france. a really nice find. it s just one of an array of artifacts from fragments of pottery, perhaps from north africa, to a tiny carved peg. this little object is manufactured from animal bone. could be a peg for fora gaming board. it suggests people were coming to the cemetery to meet up. the living and the dead existing together.
we have some teeth that are very worn in kind of a funny way. that might indicate the use of teeth as tools, maybe for textile work, leatherwork, basketry, and where they re pulling something through their front teeth. that is glass. a shard of fine french glass has just been discovered. probably the rim from a cone beaker, so which would have looked like an ice cream cone. a really nice find. it s just one of an array of artefacts, from fragments of pottery, perhaps from north africa, to a tiny carved peg. this little object is manufactured from animal bone. could be a peg for fora gaming board. it suggests people were coming to the cemetery to meet up the living and the dead existing together. they are burying their dead, but they re also undertaking other forms of activity and social practice, including eating and drinking and feasting. the items unearthed in the cemetery suggest that the people were of a high status. the next step is to work out
kind of cribbage or some sort of game? yes, yes. a medieval version. yes, something like that. it suggests people were coming to the cemetery to meet up, eat and drink the living and the dead existing together. we tend to think of graveyards as sort of enclosed spaces that we don t really go to, but they probably would have been quite central to life in the past. and it s notjust a place where people are being buried, but it s a place where communities are coming together. they are burying their dead, but they re also undertaking other forms of activity and social practice, including eating and drinking and feasting. no nearby settlement has yet been found and the dig is creating a perplexing picture. the items unearthed in the cemetery suggest wealth that the people there were of high status. that s what we re trying to find out as part of our work is what exactly is going on, who are these people being buried here? the people interred here have access to very high quality importe