Research Projects
Bamburgh Bowl-Hole Anglian Cemetery: a contextual study
A research project of the Department of Archaeology.
Background
This three year contextual study of a well-excavated and preserved early Medieval cemetery, associated with the documented royal site of Bamburgh Castle, will use a range of skeletal, archaeological, and scientific (stable isotope) methods of analysis to answer specific questions about 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 there, and to explore correlations between the cemetery archaeology, literary and historical sources related to this documented early Anglo-Saxon royal site. The project is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. The Principal Investigator is Professor Charlotte Roberts, the Co-applicants are Dr. Graham Pearson, Earth Sciences, Durham University and Dr. Sam Lucy, Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge. Working on the project will be Post-doctoral research associate, Dr. Sarah Groves and two part-time technicians (Louisa Gidney and Scott Grainger). The project is in collaboration with the Bamburgh Research Project and Paul Gething (Project Director – Management), Graeme Young (Director of Archaeology) and Philip Wood (post-excavation Director).
Progress on the project
The project is now in its final year. In the first year the skeletal analysis was completed, along with a geophysical survey to establish the extent of the cemetery. In year two, the stable isotope sample preparation commenced and some stable isotopic analysis was completed, along with and an ancient DNA feasibility study at the University of Manchester.
To date the whole of the skeletal assemblage has been fully analysed from an osteological perspective; radiography of specific skeletal elements is ongoing. The data for the ‘mobility’ isotope (strontium) and the dietary isotopes carbon and nitrogen have been generated in our Earth Sciences Department, and further date is forthcoming on the other ‘mobility’ isotope, oxygen. The grave catalogue is currently being generated, along with conservation and recording of artefacts found in the graves. We have a monograph proposal for the project accepted by the Council of British Archaeology, due for submission at the end of 2010. Over the next year the monograph will be written, with Dr Groves returning from maternity leave in March 2010.
Conference presentations
Groves, S.E (2008) Who, What, Where and Why? Using isotopic analysis to explore migration, health and identity in Early Medieval Bamburgh. Paper to be given at the Biocultural Approaches to Early Medieval Burial Workshop, University of Sheffield, December 2008
Groves, S.E (2008) Living and Dying in Early Medieval Northumberland: The Bowl Hole cemetery, Bamburgh. Departmental Seminar given in the Department of Archaeology, Durham University, October 2008
Groves, S.E and Roberts C.A. (2008) Strontium isotope analysis of the people buried at the Bowl-Hole cemetery, Bamburgh, Northumberland: a preliminary study of burial context and health of locals and non-locals. Paleopathology Association European Meeting, Copenhagen, Denmark
Groves, S.E and Roberts C.A. (2008) Bamburgh: The Diet and Mobility of an Early Medieval Community Explored. Podium presentation given at the International Medieval Congress, University of Leeds, July 2008Groves, S.E and Roberts, C.A.
(2007) Health and welfare in a late Anglo-Saxon community at Bamburgh Castle, Northumberland. Paper presented at the Palaeopathology Association Annual Meeting, Philadelphia
Groves, S.E. (2007) The physical dimension of warrior status in Early Medieval society. Poster presentation at the American Association of Physical Anthropologists Annual meeting, Philadelphia
Groves, S.E. and Roberts, C. A (2007) “Health and welfare in a late Anglo-Saxon community at Bamburgh Castle, Northumberland” Podium presentation at the Paleopathology Association Annual meeting, Philadelphia.
Groves, S.E. (2007) “Living and Dying in Bernicia: The Bowl Hole Burial Ground, Bamburgh” Paper presented at Leeds International Medieval Congress, Leeds
Groves, S.E and Roberts, C.A. (2007) Diet, disease and death in the Bowl Hole: an early medieval cemetery in Bamburgh, Northumberland. Paper presented at the British Association of Biological Anthropology and Osteoarchaeology Annual Meeting, Reading
Roberts, C.A. and Groves, S.E. (2007) Toothache at Bamburgh Castle, Northumberland: dental disease of people buried at an Anglo-Saxon site in north-east England. Second South American Meeting of the Paleopathology Association, Santiago, Chile
Groves, S.E. (2007) Biological and Social ‘Status’ in the Bowl Hole cemetery, Bamburgh. Paper presented at the Biocultural Approaches to Early Medieval Burial Workshop, Sheffield
Outreach
2009
Newcastle Antiquaries, Newcastle – Where did people buried in the Bowl-Hole, Bamburgh originate? Some answers and a general overview of developments in recognizing migrations in bioarchaeology
Groves, S.E. 2007-8 Bodies in the Bowl Hole – Life and Death in Anglo-Saxon Bamburgh. Paper presented at the Tees Archaeology Day School “Angles on the Saxons, Stockton, November 2007, and for the Newcastle Historical Studies Society, February 2008
Groves, S.E. (2007) Human remains from the Bowl Hole Anglo-Saxon cemetery, Bamburgh. Public lecture given to the Northumberland Archaeological Group
Publications
Groves, S.E. (in press) The Bowl Hole Burial Ground; A Late Anglian cemetery in Northumberland. In J. Buckberry and A. Cherryson (eds): Later Anglo-Saxon burial, c.650 to 1100AD. Oxbow Books
Groves, S.E. (in Press) Social and Biological Status in the Bowl Hole Early Medieval burial ground, Bamburgh, Northumberland. In Petts, D and Williams, H. (eds) Early Medieval Northumbria. Brepols
