In the United Kingdom, archaeologists have found 41 human skeletons, usually from women, from around 500 to 600 AD. These remains, found in Zuid -Wales, give a rare look at the early medieval period, which is not well recorded in history.
Experts say that women have probably had a hard life in agriculture. Each person was buried in a separate grave on the site.
“Their daily life seems to have been quite difficult. They were not very healthy group of individuals, but they took care of each other,” Andy Seaman from Cardiff University told CNN.
According to Seaman, researchers have found evidence of degenerative joint diseases such as arthritis. They have also healed fractures and broken bones.
Female skeletons showed signs of past injuries such as broken legs and even a neck, probably of agricultural accidents, per sailor. Although the site was near the sea, there is no evidence that they ate fishing.
People probably lived in the neighborhood and even ate at the cemetery. Some buried were high status and had ties with people from mainland Europe.
Archaeologists found fine glass cups from France, which suggests that items with a high status on the site. Seaman said, however, that people were buried in poor health.
Economic
He explained that at that time the gap between rich and poor was small and most people worked in agriculture. The fact that luxury articles were found does not mean that all buried individuals were rich.
“It is a high status activity that takes place at the cemetery, which does not have to mean that each individual is necessarily a person with a high status,” CNN quoted Zeeman.
“The contrast between the material with high status and the poor health of the individuals is not that surprising. This was a period in which the difference between the rich and the poor was not very large, and it seems as if everyone was involved in agriculture to a greater or lesser extent,” he added.
The team is now planning to study when people and goods have moved between Wales and Zuidwest -Frankrijk. They also want to dig up the rest of the site.
