#ThrowbackThursday Stanway Warrior Burial

This #ThrowbackThursday we are remembering the burial of an Iron Age warrior found in Stanway, Colchester! 

Previously on the site, remarkable wooden burial chambers had been uncovered that would have been intended for members of the native aristocracy. Cremated human remains here dated from the late 1st century BC to AD 60 or slightly later.

The later excavations on the site exposed two small grave-pits, one containing an exceptionally rich burial assemblage including over twenty vessels of pottery, a set of glass gaming counters and possible gaming board, a small wooden casket or box, two brooches, woollen textiles, a large blue and white glass bead, a copper-alloy armlet, and a spear and shield

The ‘Warrior Grave’ is of intrinsic interest, due to the vast amount of grave goods. The spear and shield have earmarked this as the grave of a warrior, and the imported pottery indicates that this warrior enjoyed the finer things in life! This elite burial has added to the interpretation that the Stanway site continued to be used as a burial place for the British nobility for up to 20 years after the Roman invasion! 

(Do check out our post on the ‘Doctor’s Grave’ from the same site!)