Author:

Pollington, Stephen.

Summary:

Most people have heard of the ship burial at Sutton Hoo. Many are aware that there were other similar mounds nearby which once contained rich graves. Perhaps less well known is that the magnificent royal burial in Mound 1 at Sutton Hoo was only the most splendid so far discovered of a series of rich graves of the same period.

This is the first book-length treatment of Anglo-Saxon Barrows in English. It brings together some of the evidence from Sutton Hoo and elsewhere in England for these magnificent burials and sets them in their historical, religious and social context.

Part 1 descibes the physical construction and symbolic meaning of these monuments.

Part 2 provides a comprehensive listing of known Anglo-Saxon barrows with notes on their contents and the circumstances of their discovery.

The appendices deal with literary and place-name evidence.

Further details:

• Softcover: 263 pages
• Language: English
• Illustrations:22 illustrations - 11 in colour
• ISBN-13:9781898281511
• Product Dimensions: 24.0 x 17.0 x 1.7 cm

Staff Comments:

The book falls into two broad parts, the first an examination of mound and chamber burial rituals which is compared and contrasted to mainland Europe practises of the time. The second section is an exhaustive listing of the currently known burial mounds of Anglo-Saxon England and also gives any known information on the site. This is generally a list of the time that it was first excavated and what had been found at the site over time. It also references any known reports that were prepared for that site. This book is a great resource on two fronts. For those with an interest and a wish to visit some of the lesser known sites this is a great travel guide as well as giving one a good idea as to what were common grave goods. As a social resource for this style of funerary practise it I found it answering a great many of my questions and also developing my appreciation of their society.