One of the objects buried with an Anglo-Saxon male in the later 6th century, this beautifully decorated pottery vessel is stamped with triangular indentations.
Overstone Leys Anglo-Saxon pottery urn in situ alongside the head of the grave's occupant
This large, decorated pottery vessel was found inside a grave as an accessory vessel, buried alongside an adult male who died in Northamptonshire towards the end of the sixth century CE. It is very unusual to recover a complete vessel from this date, and this large pot is beautifully decorated with pressed indentations made with a triangular tool. As the pot is complete archaeologists may be able to examine any residues left inside the pot. This might reveal whether it once contained dairy products like milk or butter, if it was used for brewing, or whether it was never used for another function and was made specially for inclusion within this person’s grave.
The grave was one of 157 burials from the cemetery at Overstone, dated to between the fifth and seventh centuries. The people buried here lived close by in a settlement that was found to have at least 50 buildings, located on the edge of a watercourse (now Cow Pasture Spinney). The thriving community relied heavily on cloth weaving for their livelihood, and through this became very wealthy. While this man was buried only with this one large pottery vessel, many other graves contained hundreds of rich objects, such as gold-gilt brooches; amber, glass and crystal beads; spears; shields; and more exotic objects such as ivory from North Africa.
Number 30 of the objects selected for the A History of Northamptonshire in 100 Objects exhibition 2025.
This astonishingly well preserved example of a chatelaine (collection of personal grooming objects), is a high-status object made to be seen as much as used.
This is a rare type of medieval ceramic roof tile, replaced in the 13th century by standard rectangular ceramic or nib tiles used until the 20th century. The rarity of these roof tiles and their association with buildings of high status in Northampton, both religious and secular, is of historical and archaeological significance.
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NMAG
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Andy Chapman
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ARC
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NMAG