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I don't know why anyone would not find this fascinating! I think it is entirely true that we take the weather with us when we go to live in a different place. I live in France, for example, and although we have adopted a lot of French cultural stuff, we also have our quintessentially English rituals (teatime, for example). (And the use of the word 'quintessential').

Human beings are social animals, thus a significant part of an individual identity is indeed their 'cultural identity'.

Given that you are studying the seventh century I can understand why this cultural identity question is so important, as this was one of the most significant transition periods in British identity (or at least Anglo-Saxon), namely the adoption of 'Christianity', the Roman version, that is (enhanced by those marriages, perhaps?). In particular for 'ordinary' people, their cultural identity will have been distinctly pagan. Asking, let alone forcing, them to adopt a completely new and in many ways antagonistic identity (Christian) would've been, if not traumatic (although there's no evidence for that imo), certainly a serious issue (contrast with Roman Britain which was multi-religious/cultural). I would imagine these people would've found (subversive?) ways to retain their cultural identity, and burials would've been an obvious one (along with other everyday objects). You mention in your footnote that furnished burials are largely a seventh century custom, but then give way to unfurnished - would Roman Christianity have anything to do with this, if 'furnished' is perceived as being too pagan? What I have always found quite telling about Anglo-Saxon England is precisely this survival of pagan customs - an obvious example being Sutton Hoo, which is full of lavish stuff I wouldn't really associate with Christianity.

So I really don't think you should worry about what you write not being fascinating or relevant (the best historians, imo, are always able to draw contemporary parallels). Cultural identity is always important whichever period one lives in. Unfortunately today the issue of 'identity' has clearly been weaponised to sow division. And equally clearly, I would imagine the Anglo-Saxons (and the Celts, of course) had a far more enlightened attitude towards such things. If only the English could remember who they really are, eh!

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Ah thanks so much for your encouragement and discussion! I loved reading your take on this.

The pagan/Christian element to burial practice is a really interesting and hotly debated topic in Anglo-Saxon archaeology. Generally, the shift from furnished to unfurnished is associated more with a cultural realignment towards Mediterranean Europe, which favoured unfurnished burial, but which came alongside the conversion to Christianity. It's complicated though, because we then have these women buried in a Christian context in very richly furnished graves in the seventh century. And then burials like Sutton Hoo! I could talk for days about those burials (did my masters thesis on them), but they too are messy because they look overtly 'pagan' but have some indications of Christianity within them (such as the gold foil crosses at Prittlewell, which was very similar in practice to Sutton Hoo). It's a fascinating time, when all these factors were intermingling. I love it!

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A real eye-opener… thanks for sharing this Holly. I had no idea. It did remind me, though, that archaeologists recently found a bed burial near Holborn Viaduct. This one was late Roman (5th century) and male. I don’t think hyperlinks work in the comments but it’s easily googled. I wonder if the 7th century bed burials you describe were a continuity of the same tradition?

I want to be buried in a bathtub when I die, because that’s where I’m happiest.

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Thanks for sharing the Holborn viaduct burial - I will read up about that! Do you know of any in the C6th? The research I’d read suggested this was a new phenomenon in the C7th, so perhaps the tradition died out and was then reintroduced by migrants from countries with greater Roman continuity than Britain… There is some really interesting work being done (where possible) on the skeletons from the female examples to try and ascertain whether they were born abroad. That will be super helpful!

I love the idea of being buried in the bath 🤣

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I don’t know of anything like this from the 6th century. I’d never even heard of bed burials before I read about the Holborn one, and your article is the only other time I’ve heard about it. The Roman burial is apparently the only one known in Britain from that time.

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Firstly, I loved this title!! And I love the work you are doing to bring to life the lives of woman that have so largely been forgotten.

I always learn something new with your writing.

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Ah thanks for the encouragement with the title! Someone else gave that comment too - can I ask (if you're able to articulate it) what it was about the title that grabbed you? I try hard to uncover those lost lives, as best I can! They were so interesting; I just don't get why they're not written about more.

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To be honest, it just sounded really nerdy but in a good way! I guess ‘hidden history’ always makes things sound exciting, and that it was based around woman. The tag line I also found funny. I think the fact that it was a bit long probably made it seem like you really knew what you were talking about. It’s also just very different to most other things I have in my inbox, so it stood out. I felt like I was going to learn something interesting, and as someone with ADHD I love that!

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Love that feedback! Will try to sprinkle in some really nerdy topics (there are plenty where this one came from lol), combined with funny taglines! I’ve actually had a shedload of feedback that people loved the weirdness of the topic, so I’ll definitely be diving into that type of thing more. Thanks for sharing Tansie!

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Wow what a topic! Why would bed burial be considered something sort of exclusive I wonder?

I’m fascinated by death rituals, in the area I live (a hippy town in Australia ) there are quite a few death doulas, I’m so taken with the new kind of reverence for end of life and death that’s growing.

Thank you Holly, I just bought your book 💜

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Ooh I love the sound of a hippy town in Australia! (I'm a bit of a closet hippy - perhaps it's my NZ heritage!). I just find the way people presented their loved ones in death to be a fascinating window onto what they considered to be important, and how they felt it appropriate to mark the biggest transition any of us will ever make. It's fascinating to me - and I'm glad you enjoyed it too. And thank you for the book purchase; I hope you enjoy it.

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Fascinating! I think society today needs to remember the rich and beautiful cultural pluralism that has accompanied human evolution all along. And really….the only weird thing is that people should find burial studies or anything related to death uncomfortable. We’ve lost the naturalness and sacredness of death. I’m a devout Christian, and also find deep and valuable spirituality in pre Christian cultures. Burials shouldn’t be only about the life to come. I think they should also continue the pagan traditions of bringing together the important elements of the unique life that’s ended, commemorating and celebrating this.

Im really excited to learn about the cultural power of exogamy. I wonder if exogamy might be a far more ancient practice. Thank you for your essay!

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I'm so glad you found it interesting! I am also a devout Christian with pretty secure convictions on what I think happens to us after death, but I find the way that people in the past grappled with this reality to be fascinating. And the way that they interacted with new Christian ideas following the arrival of the church in England. This was a time of such intermingling and cultural wrestling, and we see some pretty unique ways of manifesting that in their material culture.

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This was a fascinating read, thank you Holly. So many hidden stories still to tell 📖 🕯️

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I'm so glad you enjoyed it! I really enjoyed putting something together that was more akin to my academic work, so I'm glad it went down well. We're all about those hidden stories here...

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Aug 3Liked by Holly A Brown

This is such an interesting article!!!

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Thanks Ingrid; I'm glad you enjoyed it! Anything in particular stand out to you?

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I loved this…but then I have an MA in “The Rhetoric and Rituals of Death” so I may not be your average reader!

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Woo hoo someone else who studies the rituals surrounding death! Honestly, when I mention that this is my academic research focus people don't know what to do with it. But then I'm like, why wouldn't we study people at perhaps one of the most vulnerable and intimate parts of their lives? It's such a window into what they believed to be important.

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Absolutely fascinating. I'm particularly interested in the dynamics of exogamy in this period, so if you explore that more in the future you'll have at least one rapt reader. Looking forward to more.

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