Conclusion

CONCLUSION

The author has proposed above that the containers were used in Christian worship, and they functioned as Christian reliquaries.

A strange phoneme and possibly an unusual ceremonial type practice appears to have been applied to reliquaries prior to burial and eventual closure of the grave. Early in this study It became apparent that many boxes were consigned to the grave in a deliberately broken or deconstructed condition prior to back filling and the final closing of the grave cut.

Seventeen Type l relic boxes are recorded as missing either lid top or body base, some both. In addition to metal components and fragments an undamaged complete lid top assembly Type l was recovered from the fire debris at the SFB at Dover Painted House (Kent), although from its condition it does not appear to have been included in the original fire.

In 1997 a further complete lid assembly was recovered by metal detection from Ascot-under-Wychwood (Oxfordshire) and a uniquely a deconstructed Type ll found by field walking undertaken at the Burwell Village (Suffolk) site. All three, appear to be little used high-status artefacts manufactured and decorated with great skill.

The early development of the Christianisation of AS Kingdoms is usually assumed to be driven by the ruling class and powerful elite who were responsible for the initial drive to eradicate heathen practices from the Anglo-Saxon people. They are encouraged and influenced by Christian communities in Gaul and Byzantine with "the most of all external influences obvious was Rome" (Mayre-Harding 1972). By the mid seventh century with an increase in the establishment of monastic and female religious institutions, assisted by missionary zeal, additional clergy, aided by an effective and active bureaucracy it would appear that individuals within the population were providing the principal momentum of acceptance of conversion. One more God in a pantheon of gods would have little effect on day-to-day life for a largely illiterate and uneducated population.

WHY

If the argument above is accepted that these containers are Christian Reliquaries, there is a need to examine possible theories for why they should be subjected to cultural erasure at this time? The interfaces between cultures and historic events are never straight forward, that between pagan and Christian religion is no different, daily life would continue unchanged, people would have been fluid moving between both before eventually accepting institutional and social control by converting to Christianity. Some may well have considered themselves semi paganised Christians, and an awareness that that the only difference between a pagan and a Christian Anglo-Saxon is an individual’s religious beliefs.

Wamers (1995) lists a number of objects considered to be relics in an early Christian context, including "earth, stones, textiles, beads, medicine plants, seeds and animal bones." all, are found in Anglo-Saxon reliquaries. This list is unhelpful as any object can be viewed as a relic even one that has not been sanctified. Any individual or a community can constitute what is or not a relic, for each decision is based on personal belief and faith. All on that list can also be identified as what can be considered “good luck charms" a heathen practice unrelated to Christian relics? Relics as symbols and political power, have long played an important part in Christian worship reaching its zenith between the fourteenth and sixteenth century. At this time there is a need to examine how the early Christian worshippers and Church viewed the importance of relics. The author has proposed that these boxes originally functioned as portable containers to hold securely what were considered to be Christian relics and as such part of liturgical assemblage used by the clergy and population. A supplicant, through prayers and the power of relics, evokes Divine Intervention through a Christian God, saint or martyr to resolve an issue or request. If granted this action created and strengthened still further the connection between the populace and the church. By contrast a "good luck charm or Lucky charm " in a seventh century context relied on the supernatural probably an unknown supreme- being a pagan god or deity to answer requests?

Unfortunately, many excavation reports do not list the contents of the relic boxes only grave contents. An exception is Harford Farm (Norwich) Grave 18. Here the excavator lifted the reliquary in a soil block and its contents extracted under laboratory conditions it contained nine objects including two copper alloy dress hooks. Two broken silver zoomorphic terminal and plaited chain from two pin suite. Two silver pins all contained within a leather purse.

The broken pin suites suggest that these may relate to antique jewellery and possibly a non-reliquary possession. Other’s excavation reports record contents that appear to have a non-Christian connection (eg. a pair of iron shears and a cowrie shell (Butlers Field Grave 14), iron keys (Verulamium Grave 10), purse mount, (Marina Drive Grave E1/E2) Roman pottery (Barton-on-Humber Grave l) and various pottery shards at Yatesbury.

It is possible that towards the end of the seventh century the use of the relic boxes could no longer be seen solely functioning as a religious object, they were also used to hold other artefacts perhaps even some with a pagan connection. One of the unintended consequences of enacting new secular and religious laws is a need increase bureaucratic control to ensure compliance.

As an example, we know the Synod of Whitby (663-664) regulated the date of Easter this resulted in a schism between the Irish Church and missions located in Northumbria. As a consequence, the English church now appeared based firmly on Roman theology, this could indicate tighter control on what is acceptable to the English Church hierarchy in respect of worship and prayer.

What I intend to argue is that by the using reliquaries to hold items that may have been pagan or practical artefacts the boxes were now considered polluted and as such dangerous. Furthermore, the established hierarchy may have held the view that the worship through relics were closely related to Greek- Roman pagan "hero worship" (Freeman,2011,9), as such they no longer had a role in Christian worship and were subjected to a use-taboo and break-up before finally being committed to the grave.

The burial of the broken boxes as part of the grave assemblage continued, possibly outside the demands and control of the clergy as the community followed long established beliefs, customs and ritual even if they were viewed as a pagan. Whether the evidence provided above is enough to satisfy a highly critical and divided corpus of academic researchers and archaeologists remains to be seen.