ART HISTORY AND ARCHAEOLOGY
The Mysterious Woman of the Wetwang Chariot Burial. From the Desk of J.D. Lacroix
Other Views: computer reconstruction of the burial sequence, by Stephen Crummy, illustrator for the Department of Prehistory and Early Europe
Photo:
The Wetwang Chariot Burial.
In March 2001 an Iron Age grave was discovered in the village of Wetwang in East Yorkshire, England. It was found during the construction of a small housing development by Hogg the Builders of York. The grave was then excavated by a team of archaeologists from The Guildhouse Consultancy and the British Museum, and funded by English Heritage. The excavation showed that the grave was that of a woman who had died over 2,300 years ago and was buried with a chariot. Since the completion of the excavation, Hogg the Builders generously donated the finds to the British Museum, where they are being carefully conserved and studied. This is leading to new, and sometimes controversial, evidence of life in the Iron Age. The BBC filmed throughout the excavation and subsequently, and funded a reconstruction of the chariot for Meet the Ancestors. This tour offers an introduction to what the archaeologists and conservators have so far discovered about the woman and her chariot.
The
Grave
Photo: Plan of the burial grave .
© 2000 The
British Museum
In most parts of Iron Age Britain funeral rituals did not lead to the burial of the dead person in a grave. However, in East Yorkshire from about 400 to 100 BC, people buried their dead in large cemeteries. Most were buried with only a few grave goods - a plain pot or a single brooch - or none at all. A very small number were buried with more spectacular items, such as the Kirkburn Sword, and very rarely, with a chariot. Over 700 Iron Age graves have been excavated in East Yorkshire since 1960 and only seven contain chariots. The grave at Wetwang was on the top of a hill. The body of the woman lay in a crouched position at the south end, with a mirror propped against her legs. Her upper body was covered with joints of a pig, perhaps placed there as food for the Afterlife. The dismantled pieces of a chariot were then placed around her, the box platform carefully positioned so that it covered her body. The wood of the chariot has rotted, leaving only the metal fittings from the chariot and the horse harness. The horses themselves were not put into the ground. The grave was filled in and covered with a low mound, surrounded by a square ditch.
The Woman
Who was the woman buried at Wetwang? What was life like in the Early Iron Age? Answers to such questions can only come from archaeological evidence, as written records of life in Britain begin between 100 BC and AD 100, at least two hundred years after her death. Excavations from Iron Age settlements in East Yorkshire help build a picture of daily life. Evidence from her skeleton has told us how old she was, and provided surprising clues about her health and her appearance (see 'What did she look like?'). Unfortunately, no direct evidence survives for her clothes, but the presence of a mirror is very interesting. As so few people were buried with chariots in the Iron Age, the woman clearly had a special place within her community. Was she a queen or princess? Or was she different for other reasons?
The article continues on the following pages.