Huge Anglo-Saxon Burial Site Uncovers Ancient Jewellery, Weapons and More

A huge Anglo-Saxon burial site in Northamptonshire in the United Kingdom was recently discovered and archaeologists unearthed over 3000 pieces of jewellery, weapons, and more. There are about 154 burials at this site and these burials and the nearly 3000 objects found within the span of them date back to around 1,500 years ago, according to LiveScience. These burials and objects were spread across a 15-hectare site that includes a 4000-year-old Bronze Age burial site as well. Seven different structures – three burial mounds and four other buildings – were discovered at this Bronze Age site. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/09/assassins-creed-valhalla-review"] "The Overstone Leys site contains by far the biggest Anglo-Saxon cemetery ever found in Northamptonshire," Project Manager at Museum of London Archaeology, Simon Markus, said in a MOLA release about the discovery. "It is rare to find both an Anglo-Saxon settlement and a cemetery in a single excavation. The excavations will help us understand the way people lived in both the Anglo-Saxon period, around 1,500 years ago as well as the Bronze Age, nearly 4,000 years ago." Markus said the human remains, objects, and buildings found at the site will help them learn more about the Anglo-Saxon and Bronze Age diets, health, origins, and day-to-day life of the people that lived during that period of history. Fifteen rings, 150 brooches, 2,000 beads, 75 wrist clasps, 15 chatelaines, 40 knives, 25 spears, 15 shield bosses, and an assortment of other things like cosmetic kits and bone combs were unearthed at the site, according to the MOLA. The archaeologists also uncovered Anglo-Saxon textiles preserved after becoming mineralized by being buried next to a metal brooch. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-ign-assassins-creed-review&captions=true"] These sites don't feature anything from the Vikings side, but is within the same era that Assassin's Creed Valhalla takes place. And who's to say that a trip to an Animus wouldn't uncover something secretive within these buried objects? For more history and science, check out this story about some Viking DNA discovered that reveals most weren't blond or blue-eyed and then read about how scientists extracting DNA from insects preserved in resin have no intention to raise dinosaurs using it. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.