Degree Name

BA

Department

Anthropology

College

Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Defense Date

2018-03-06

Publication Date

2018-04-23

First Faculty Advisor

Miranda Wilcox

Second Faculty Advisor

Jaime Bartlett

First Faculty Reader

Jaime Bartlett

Honors Coordinator

Charles Nuckolls

Keywords

Anglo-Saxon, Gender, Religion, Archaeology, Mortuary Practices, England

Abstract

My thesis examines seventh-century East Anglian mortuary practices and cross-correlates grave goods and human remains to determine whether there was an expression of the sexual division of labor during this period of social and religious change. I argue that gender roles changed as a result of adopting kingdoms and Christianity. Prior to this time period, Anglo-Saxons were primarily pagan and were buried with extensive burial goods. In addition to changes in religious and burial practices, during the Final Phase (600-700 AD) there appears to have been a division of labor that was not as dichotomous in the Migration Phase (450-600 AD). I examine graves of different statuses through reports to determine whether this change in the division of labor occurred in different classes. I also incorporate religious burial sites into my analysis (Westfield Farm and Trumpington) to see whether there was a distinct difference in monastic life. The cemeteries I consider in detail are Edix Hill, Westfield Farm, Melbourn, and Trumpington. Because of the poor preservation of skeletal remains in Bloodmoor Hill, I incorporate this data only in the discussion section. My conclusions place my work in the wider context of current research being done on this topic, reveal the relationship between grave goods and arthropathies in the seventh-century, and address the future implications of my work.

Handle

http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/uht0026

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