Posted on 07/03/2012 2:33:16 PM PDT by DogByte6RER
Ancient 'Cow Woman' Skeleton Called Bizarre
The skeleton of a 1,400-year-old Anglo-Saxon woman buried alongside a cow has emerged from a former children's playground near Cambridge in England, making the "cow woman" an extraordinary unique find.
Described as "hugely exciting" and "bizarre," the burial was uncovered by students from Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of Central Lancashire.
The find is believed to be the only one of its kind ever found in Europe.
"Usually it is warrior men who are discovered buried with their animals. Never before have we found a woman buried alongside a cow," Faye Simpson, of the Department of History at Manchester Metropolitan University, said.
Simpson and colleague Duncan Sayer, from the University of Central Lancashire, believe the burial indicates the woman enjoyed a high social status within her community.
A cow is symbolic of economic and domestic power. In the 5th century this animal was a very important to a community’s survival, so to sacrifice one is highly significant. Such a unique burial indicates the woman's role as regional elite," Simpson told Discovery News.
According to the researchers, the community would have wanted to give the woman something really important to show respect -- something they wouldn't have done for just anybody.
"She was buried in the late 5th century, a significant period after the Roman occupation. The burial demonstrates that the reordering of social boundaries could include important matriarchal figures," Simpson said.
The theory is backed by the abundance of grave goods unearthed with the skeleton. These include two small disc brooches, three necklaces made of glass beads, amber beads, wrist clasps, belt buckle, strap end, and belt hanger with set of keys.
Analysis of the woman's bones and teeth suggest she was in her twenties or thirties when she died.
"We have not yet ascertained her cause of death, although there does not appear to be any significant trauma evident to suggest a violent death," Simpson said.
Photos: The skeleton of the 1400-year-old Anglo-Saxon woman buried alongside a cow. Credit: Faye Simpson; - The woman skeleton with grave goods. Credit: Faye Simpson.
It was probably just a beloved pet or companion, so they decided to bury it with her, and have a BBQ at the same time...
That's bad English; it means the woman was 1400 years old when she died and they buried her with a cow. It should read "The 1400 year old skeleton of a woman buried with a cow..."
LOL! 1789, that was the year that one of my ancestors emigrated from Pendleton County to Harrison County in Virginia (now West Virginia). You could have put his name on it.
I think it would be fun to buy some of those cheap, made in China, flint arrow heads that they sell in cheesy souvenier shops and toss them around historical sites.
A loving husband buried his wife and her mother in the same plot.
None of you have any imagination. The woman was wealthy, and had made some power plays in the village that her rival didn’t like. So some spoiled milk was made a part of of some tragedy, probably food poisoning, and the milk was traced back to the cow, and the cow belonged to the woman, so the cow and the woman were buried alive to punish the “witchcraft.” And in that way, the dead woman’s rival was able to pass the first EPA milk safety laws that eventually led to Britain rejecting football for soccer, gutting their navy, and letting the Muslims install sharia law.
Bovinacea?
When the milkmaid died, nobody else wanted to take care of that cow.
Yes. Good for her! She’s FINALLY achieved her “15 seconds of fame!”.
Yes. Good for her! She’s FINALLY achieved her “15 seconds of fame!” (Good things come to them that waits)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12986792
This is her g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-gg-
granddaughter
... for your consideration. Hugs, Mom
its called COWPOX /s
DNA tests show that the woman is a direct ancestor of Rachel Madcow.
Maybe she screwed up somehow and got the family cow killed.
This is a message to the other cow herders not to mess up.
Pretty effective I’d say. We are talking about it thousands of years later.
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| GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother & Ernest_at_the_Beach | |
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Thanks momtothree. |
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Yeah, little missy.
You're going with the next cow in your care that dies.
LOL!
The only person who didn’t think it bizarre was mooch-elle (who felt somehow oddly attracted to it).
http://media.screened.com/uploads/0/16/7857-boudica_large.jpg
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