HS2 archaeological discoveries illuminate the Anglo-Saxon ‘Dark Ages’

Archaeologists working on HS2 have made discoveries of national significance, uncovering an Anglo-Saxon burial site in Wendover, Buckinghamshire. Almost three quarters of the graves contained high quality grave goods, suggesting the site was the final resting place of a wealthy Anglo-Saxon community.

The items uncovered are dated to the 5th and 6th century, a period in which there are gaps in historical and archaeological record. The discoveries made by HS2 archaeologists will contribute a significant amount to the understanding of how people in Anglo-Saxon Britain lived their lives, and what culture and society was like at that time.

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[spectroman]

Fascinating! One wonders when a cemetery becomes so old that nobody alive knows any of the departed, is this what will happen? Eventually we will run out of space...

[Saint_Vincent]

Wow, what an amazing discovery. I hope once you are done you bury remains respectfully. They were people who lived here after all.

[beyondnatural]

I suppose as the train passes over a pre-recorded voice will say, “We are now passing over what for many years was a graveyard - there are children buried here as well as many women and men. We have some reproductions of beautifully decorated grooming articles for sale, including nail scissors and tweezers, that the ladies buried here used to use. Also lovely brooches. Thank you for travelling British Rail.”

[helenwalker]

It's going to be dug up and decimated for HS2 anyway! At least this way the remains are treated with respect and we discover more about about our ancestors and past 🙄

[awesomepanda]

you could make a row way across London

[douglasturner]

"High Status individuals"? Strange you say that. They are dug up and played with like remains in Potter's Field.

[maxcohen]

So what are you going to do with the remains of these people and their belongings? They were buried there for a reason. You should collect info, pictures, etc., then put them and their property back where you found it. It would be uncivilized to do anything else.

[e.foster]

So, in a couple of hundred years when they want to dig up your loved ones to build the latest, greatest way to get from point-A to point-B, that will be okay? Maybe if this was a one-off, but this is clearly a graveyard. Shameful.