- Burial and the Other World -
social distinction replicated in grave goods. There are several notable exceptions. One
is the well-known warrior burial from Whitcomb near Dorchester. This was a
muscular young man\in his twenties placed in typical position and orientation, but
buried with a La Tene III sword, a La Tene II brooch, bronze belt-hook, and other
subsidiary tools and weapons (d. Whimster I98I: 50-I, I 29-46). Equally exceptional
are two cist-grave burials with mirrors from near Portland, and a third (of an elderly
woman?) from Bridport - such mirrors were almost certainly family heirlooms of
considerable age when buried.
This tradition superficially resembles what most modern observers would expect
from a normative rite (the chronic absence of infants from the assemblages is
commonly and probably correctly dismissed, as infants are very often not considered
part of society until they survive a period of time and are 'baptized'). There are,
however, very real problems with this conclusion. The principal problem is simply
one of numbers - there are too few burials known. This could, of course, be a func-
tion of modern archaeological work, and Whimster makes this point (I98I, 37), but
even the more recently excavated examples are small clusters of burials. The strong
suspicion must remain that this is in fact a burial rite adopted by or applied to only
a sector of the population. The presence of grave goods may rule out a denigrated
minority such as that represented in the Pit Tradition, but it may be either a social
dite, or some other grouping such as a clan or lineage which for reasons unknown
adopted a new rite.
Aylesford-Swarling Cremations
An apparently normative rite was introduced or adopted in Kent and the north
Chiltern areas in the mid-first century Be, and thereafter spread to adjacent areas of
eastern England (Figure 26.4). This is the much-discussed Aylesford-Swarling or
'Belgic' cremation tradition. One of its most controversial aspects is whether or not
it represents an intrusive tradition - are these the invaders from Gaul recorded by
Caesar? The literature on the subject is voluminous (d. Stead I976 and Whimster
I98I: I 47-66).
The Aylesford-Swarling rite appears in an early phase called 'Welwyn' C.50-40 Be
(after Stead I976) and later gains momentum in a 'Lexden' phase C.q-IO Be and
merges into the early romanized tradition of cremation in the later first century AD.
The rite involves cremation of the corpse (usually off-site but occasionally in the
grave) and the collection of the calcined remains for burial, usually in a ceramic pot
but alternatively in a simple pit or in a bucket of wood and metal. The graves cluster
in cemeteries, usually very small but ranging up to the extraordinary King Harry
Lane cemetery at St Albans (Stead and Rigby I989) with over 472 burials. In
the larger cemeteries there appears to be an internal arrangement of clusters, perhaps
representing families or lineages.
Aylesford burials are frequently furnished with grave goods, the most frequent
being a single pot (about 63 per cent of graves) derived from a restricted range of
beakers or similar vessels. The vessels are stylistically derived from the Champagne-
Ardennes and Normandy-Picardy areas of northern France (thus giving rise to the
invasion hypothesis). A second tier of burials can be distinguished, furnished with