Princely Burial update! DNA Breakthrough Reveals Anglo-Saxon Brother and Sister Double Burial (Patreon)

Ancient DNA work has revealed a major new breakthrough in the investigation of the Anglo-Saxon double burial discovered by Time Team and Operation Nightingale at Cherington, featured in the recent Time Team Special - Return to The Princely Burial: The Sword in the Stones. 

New ancient DNA analysis, carried out by the Francis Crick Institute, has confirmed that the two young people buried together in the grave – a young boy and a teenage girl buried beside him – were brother and sister and may have died at the same time, from fast acting infectious disease.

The grave was first excavated by a Team, including Osteo-archaeologist Jacqueline McKinley, during our revisit to Cherington. It immediately stood out because of the unusual way the pair had been laid to rest. The small boy was positioned holding a sword, while the girl had been placed facing towards him and raised slightly, as if watching over him. This intimate tableau, was designed to be seen by those mourning the deaths. It most likely mimicked a scenario played out in life, with an elder sister overseeing the wellbeing of a precious younger brother.

Double burials are relatively unusual in Anglo-Saxon cemeteries. They can often signify graves with two bodies buried at different times. To have a confirmed familial link between bodies buried at the same time in a grave is extremely rare.  

To find out more, follow the following link to our website.

Time Team x Operation Nightingale Anglo-Saxon post-excavation DNA discovery

Illustration Image © Neil Max Emmanuel / Time Team

Photos © Harvey Mills / Time Team