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Imported Grave Goods

  Grave goods were considered as prestigious commodities in the ancient days. Graves goods that existed between the sixth and the seventh century contains a varied number of prestige goods.The graves are mostly found in the northern and western  Europe. Since the kick off of the Roman era, most funerals were moved northwards from Germany and Denmark. The other group associated with the grave goods was from the Frankish world, which was as a result of the constant funerary methods which enhanced and promoted grave goods within the regions^. The grave goods were of varied nature and type some of which included the Coptic bowls and gold coins and sword adornment. Prestigious goods characterized most ancient rituals in the ancient Europe. The prestigious goods were acquired from Francia through redistribution or direct acquisition. For instance, sword ornament obtained from Frankish power and gold coins from Egypt by means of redistribution.

Egyptian Grave Goods

 

The relationship between the various regions rich in grave goods was maintained through various means. Marriage was used as a primary factor for maintaining the bond. In essence, marriage enhanced the smooth exchange of the grave goods within the trading setups. It is imperative to recognize that most grave goods were obtained from the Frankish power and later distributed to the peripheries, which included Austrasia and Burgundy. The distribution of the grave goods can be described as monetary exchange or relocation of assets. Research shows that commercial exchange of the grave goods took place along the European Rivers and reallocation was conducted via Merovingian courts. The gold materials dominated the grave goods and constituted about 60-70% of all the grave goods. It is believed that children’s prolific grave at Tournai provided the first grave goods. Later, the grave goods were sourced from Merovingian prestigious burials. For instance, Arnegunde was buried with a broad range of essential goods which were later taken to be sold again. The male burials less prestigious compared to those of women and children and therefore, men were buried in an ordinally manner apart from the prominent men in the society.

The southern regions of Europe adopted the lavish funerary style conducted in the peripherals. Due to the distribution of prestigious graves in the southern and eastern part of England shows that England was within the domain of Frankish power. The possession of grave goods gave Frankish an upper hand in the political and economic supremacy. In this case, influential individuals in Frankish were buried in special areas, and their funerals were conducted in a lavish manner. Such honor to the dead proved that the Frankish Kingdom was rich and powerful. For this and other reasons, the Frankish Kingdom commanded large portions of the region. The Southern Europe kingdoms aped the Frankish Kingdom and started conducting lavish funerals and honoring their prominent members of the society. The Frankish political and economic supremacy can be traced back in Kent and south east parts of Britain. The political and economic endowment of the region was due to the recovery of a wide range of grave items from the surrounding areas. The marriage alliance between Althelberht and the Frankish princess contributed significantly to the political and economic power of Frankish. Finally, the grave goods resulted in the formation of strong socio-economic bonds among the trading allies in the early Anglo-Saxon economy 

Ancient studies reveal that grave goods were in plenty at the cemeteries in Anglo-Saxon. People dug out the grave goods and exported them to different countries. The products were of high quality and value since they could stay for long, reused and molded to produced the decided shapes. Therefore, the grave goods were in high demand in other countries and therefore their market was readily available.  In this regard, it can be observed that grave goods stimulated trade between nations and played a central role in revolutionizing the foreign trade.

Amber Beads were found in places such as  Romania, Sicily, Portugal and many others. it is hard to understand how such beads got into those places without an in-depth analysis to identify their origin.  However, the beads are said to have been deposited in Hollywell Row graves in hundreds of years ago and then spread to other parts such as the central and eastern parts of England.

The  Beads are said to have originated from the eastern parts of Mediterranean during the Roman era. In essence, the beads are believed to have come from India and Egypt. Some scholars argue that the beads originated from the Frankish tribes. They hold that the beads were exonerated from Roman graves. However, large numbers of Amethyst beads were found in cemeteries located in the areas between northeast Wiltshire and Cambridgeshire^.

Ivory Rings were ivory rings discovered in the Anglo-Saxon burial sites mainly gotten from ivory. The ivory is sad to have originated from the northern and the Mediterranean regions. The ivory rings can be traced back to the fifth, sixth, and the seventh centuries. There are other grave goods believed to have been imported such as crystal balls, crystal beads, cowrie shells, glass vessels, and wheel-thrown pottery. These were found in various graves in Anglo-Saxon Region.

The issues of grave robbery were quite frequent in the ancient Anglo-Saxon region. People had realized the value of grave goods and everyone's interest was to generate wealth through whatever means possible. However, despite the robbery challenge, the grave goods contributed significantly to the growth of the Anglo-Saxon economy. In summary, the grave goods stimulated trade economic growth of different parts in the world. Moreover, social interactions and bonding were encouraged and resulted in the emergence of a rich culture composed of lifestyles from different regions of the world. The political systems of many regions were strengthened due to economic control.