Furnished female burial in seventh-century England: gender and sacral authority in the Conversion Period
Helena Hamerow
A new, refined chronology for graves and grave‐goods in Anglo‐Saxon England has revealed a marked increase well‐furnished female burials beginning the second quarter of seventh century. The present study considers what gave rise to this phenomenon concludes that small number royal nuns abbesses who figure so prominently written accounts Conversion were part wider, undocumented change role women began several decades before founding first houses. It is argued these reflect new investment commemoration females came represent their family's interests newly acquired estates whose importance was enhanced by ability confer supernatural legitimacy onto dynastic claims.
Early Medieval Europe