The Origins of Mid-Saxon Southampton: Excavations at the Friends Provident St Mary's Stadium 1998–2000
Vaughan Birbeck, Roland J C Smith, Phil Andrews & Nick Stoodley
Description
Hamwic (mid-Saxon Southampton) has been the subject of excavations since the 1940s, and is the most extensively investigated and best understood of the English wics. This report publishes the results of the largest excavation yet undertaken in Hamwic, which preceded Southampton Football Club's move to a new stadium in 2001. This has increased the known area of the settlement to almost 50 hectares, but more importantly has shed light on the origins of Hamwic. A mixed rite cemetery included cremation burials which may date to the mid-7th century, at least half a century later than others knowns in the region, and an unusually high proportion of accompanied inhumation burials of later 7th century date, many with weapons in sometimes complex assemblages. These burials may represent an elite group associated with the 7th century royal estate from which the later administrative function of Hamwic developed. The similarities with weapons burials in easy Kent suggest that the origins of Hamwic might be traced back to Kentish/Jutish leadership, before the arrival of the West Saxons in c.686 and the transformation of the estate into a major manufacturing, market and trading centre.
Details
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| Jan. 1, 2005 | Wessex Archaeology | 231 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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