Steve Brine visited the Guildhall on Wednesday 15th February, for the launch of an exciting new historical publication.
The People of Early Winchester is the eighth volume in the Winchester Studies series, produced by the Winchester Excavations Committee and published by the Oxford University Press. It traces the lives, health and diseases of Winchester's inhabitants between the mid-third century AD and the mid-sixteenth century, and is unique in that it provides a continuous chronological window on Winchester folk over 1300 years rather than being a series of isolated studies such as has been done on York and London.
The information has been collected over the last fifty years from some 3000 skeletons excavated from the Roman cemetery at Lankhills and the Anglo-Saxon and medieval cemeteries of the Old and New Minsters and Winchester Cathedral, as well as other Anglo-Saxon sites in neighbouring areas of Hampshire.
The study is particularly notable for the large sample of Anglo-Saxon burials in the 5th - 7th centuries, providing a bridge between Romano-British material and later medieval samples. It shows that there was an underlying continuity in the population in spite of the massive culture change between Roman and early Saxon periods. The bones also show, interestingly, the gradual arrival and integration of tall Anglo-Saxon males between the 5th and 7th century.
The editor of the book, Dr Caroline Stuckert, who travelled from her Philadelphia home for the event, was able to isolate a small, mostly male group, that was statistically different and whose numbers increased through time. Archaeological evidence from the sites suggest that these represent Germanic peoples.
Also of interest were significant differences noted in disease patterns and trauma. Leprosy is found only in post-Roman skeletons and decapitations only in Roman skeletons. Weapon injuries are confined to Anglo-Saxon and medieval individuals although broken bones were common during the Roman period.
Steve Brine said: "I was delighted to able to attend the event, and it is completely fascinating to learn even more about our history. Congratulations to everyone for this special work, and in particular Professor Martin Biddle, Director of the Winchester Research Unit, and Dr Caroline Stuckert who travelled halfway around the world to join us."
Pictured; top, Barbara Bryant, Chairman of Winchester Excavations committee, and the Mayor of Winchester with Steve Brine, and left, Barbara Bryant, the Mayor, Dr Caroline Stuckert, Professor Martin Biddle and Steve Brine
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