The University of Sheffield

Graduate Student, Archaeology

Independent Researcher

Thesis Title: 'Identity and the Cruciform Brooch in Early Anglo-Saxon England: An Investigation of Style, Mortuary Context and Use’

About

I have recently completed a doctorate in archaeology at the University of Sheffield.  My thesis uses the early Anglo-Saxon cruciform brooch, a well-represented and highly decorative dress-fastener, as an entry point for looking at the construction of identities relating to ethnicity, gender, age, and power in the early Anglo-Saxon period.  The basis of my research is a new corpus of over 1600 cruciform brooches, derived from museums as well as the Portable Antiquities Scheme database.  My examination of this artefact is holistic and multi-dimensional, and the major topics of consideration are: (a) typology and stylistic variability, (b) chronology, (c) distribution, (d) mortuary context, (e) use, repair and costume, and finally (f) iconography and symbolism.  These threads come together to provide an understanding of why and how the cruciform brooch evolved as it did, how it was used in life and death (and by whom), and the complex social identity the artefact was used to construct and display.

RESEARCH OUTCOMES
The outcome of my research is a new and detailed typology of the Anglo-Saxon cruciform brooch, and a revised chronology.  From a major new gazetteer of more than 4,000 early Anglo-Saxon sites and find-spots, I have established three major phases in the cruciform brooch’s geographical distribution, indicative of changing methods of production and gift exchange, and relating to the adapting function of the cruciform brooch as a symbol of Anglian identity.  From a corpus of about 1,000 excavated graves and their attendant contextual data (published and unpublished) I have established a demographic profile for cruciform brooch wearers (older women), and related this to how Anglian identity was constructed and conceived.  I have also examined the associated textile remains to examine the limited range of garments the cruciform brooch fastened, and patterns of repair and re-use among these items.  I have catalogued the entire corpus of animal and human iconography of cruciform brooches, and found it to be restricted to a very small range of subjects with diverse permutations.  I relate this to the oral traditions of the early Anglo-Saxons and their metaphysical understanding of the world, and ultimately to systems of storing and communicating knowledge. 

OTHER WORK
In addition to continued work on my doctoral research toward publication, I am working on theoretical approaches to Anglo-Saxon grave furnishings which focus on the object-biographies of these objects. I am also currently working on a new gazetteer of fifth to seventh century sites in Lincolnshire with an accompanying archaeological, historical and geographical analysis.  Additionally, I am involved in a collaborative experimental archaeological project that seeks to establish the chronological development of technical cruciform brooch production.  I am also planning some survey work on metal-detected early Anglo-Saxon sites I have identified during my cataloguing of PAS and HER data.

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