O
n a craggy stretch of coast in
Northumberland, England, stands
Bamburgh Castle, witness to 2,000 years
of countless events. According to
historians, a fortress stood on this site even before
recorded history. Little, however, is known about this
early period. Roman-era pottery that has been
excavated at Bamburgh suggests that the site was
used during the time of the Roman occupation of
Britain, between 43C.E. and 410C.E. The Romans may
even have used it as part of their
coastal defense system.
In the 1960s, British
archaeologist Brian Hope-
Taylor began excavations
there. While digging, he
unearthed a gold plaque, known
now as the “Bamburgh Beast”
(pictured above). He also
uncovered two swords within
what remains of a once-
thriving Anglo-Saxon fortressthat dates to the early seventh century. One of these is
of exceptionally sophisticated manufacture in that the
core of its blade was made from six bands of folded
iron. In 1996, archaeologist Graeme Young resumed
Hope-Taylor’s work. At the time, Young believed that
the project would be short. He planned to conduct it
“over weekends.” It evolved, however, into a sweeping,
20-year venture.
University of Durham archaeologist Rosemary
Cramp noted in an article published in 2016, “High
points like this are strongholds from prehistoric times
onwards, but very few have [such] depth of Anglo-
Saxon deposits.” It was Cramp who made one of
Bamburgh’s greatest discoveries. She was reexamining
a stone carving that had been discovered in the late
19th century and identified as the remains of an
Anglo-Saxon cross. Further inspection led her to say
that it actually was the remains of a throne, dating to
around year 800C.E. Called a “gift stool,” the throne
probably played a role in royal rituals in which
warriors demonstrated loyalty to their king.Shannon Reres currently works and lives in Charlottesville, Virginia,
where she loves to read and write in her spare time.by Shannon ReresDid You say
BEAST?
I think I’ll
sit this
one out!18