Cameos are usually very silly affairs and normally involve Matt and Phil dressing up or doing something really rather ridiculous to highlight the story of a site. So being asked to take part in ones own funeral is not silly at all, right? Well, yes and no. The whole premise was to look into Anglo-Saxon funerary practices; Foxton seemed to be a local epicentre for Anglo-Saxon burials both inhumation and cremation. The idea was to look more closely at the cremation side of Anglo-Saxon funerary practices and to use experimental archaeology to determine what may have typically happened. Yes but this is also bonkers - you want me to pretend to be dead, cremate me and then have a wake....can I go home now please?!?
Doomed I tell you... dooomed!
I cannot really and truly describe what it was like knowing that I was to die and have a funeral at the end of day two. Day one was pretty normal; I was allocated a trench to dig and got on with it just like any other Time Team site. The only exception was that I was constantly reminded of my impending doom. It was also the best excuse I could use for getting out of work the next day by saying; "no sorry I can't tomorrow, I'm dying and its my funeral". The general mooted response was "oh yeah sorry, I forgot". On day two it got really bizarre as Ian and Tracy started building my funeral pyre. Walking past the stacked logs whilst going to and from lunch was really rather odd and the knowing looks and jibes were now in full flow from the rest of the crew. It wasn't until the afternoon when I spent time with Sam Newton that I finally understood the gravity of the situation. Ok so I wasn't actually dying but we are doing this for real, well as real as we could get. This is the part of the funeral rite which is supposed to be the solemn sad bit and how do I feel about it? To be honest I actually felt a bit emotional. I see Time Team as my extended family and I felt absolutely honoured to be given a decent send off with the people I know and love - weird huh?
Getting on a bier, pretending to be dead and then carried in solemn procession by fellow Time Teamers was weird as was jumping off, being replaced by a rack of ribs and lighting my own funeral pyre. As with all Anglo Saxon burials I was cremated with my personal grave goods: trowel, shovel, phone and the trusty stripy hat. The funny thing was everyone was quiet, you could hear a pin drop and you could also see the strange look on the team's faces. They too seemed to be carried by the emotion of the rite, (Faye who was away on that particular shoot was really rather glad she wasn't there!). I also think fire has some kind of hypnotizing effect on people, so watching essentially a large bonfire transfixed everyone when normally they would have scarpered and gone back to the hotel. The strange vigil was only broken up by the lure of a drink in the local - well I do think we needed it...
A Spot of Experimental Archaeology
In the morning the pyre had burnt down to the ground, all that was left was a rectangular red scorched patch of baked earth, a pile of ash, the metal of the shovel and burnt bits of bone. As archaeologists however we were quite excited, this was experimental archaeology at its best. Jackie McKinley and Helen Geake informed me that although we know that cremation was a part of Anglo Saxon funerary practices, little is actually known about where the whole process. Evidence of funeral pyres in the archaeological record is non-existant so what little had survived dur-ing my cremation is essentially what archaeologists should be looking for. It also explained the lack of evidence, by the time I had swept up 'my remains' i.e. the bone and ash and put it into a huge urn there really was nothing left except the burnt patch of earth. Unless you were specifically looking for this on the edges of settlements it could easily be dismissed as a random burnt patch of ground and could be attributed to any process that uses fire during this period. With this minute evidence and other preservation issues coming into play such as plough damage it became clear why no one had found an Anglo-Saxon cremation site.
Time for feasting
At the end of day three preparations were in full swing for the final send-off. This essentially was an Anglo Saxon wake which involved burying the ashes, drinking and feasting. This was a contrast to the more subdued cremation, the ethos being that it was a celebration of an individual's life rather than mourning. A huge hog roast was turning on a spit, beer from the local brewery had been shipped in much to Phil's delight and people were gathering around to watch the final ceremony. Sam Newton had written a personal dedication to me in ye olde English which he recited with Phil. I carried my ashes to their final resting place and was toasted by the throng. The ceremony was over but the feasting was not and this carried on for at least another hour or so. Well it would be rude not to and Sam did say that this is what they did in Beowulf, so it must be true!
How do I feel now? In retrospect it really is an odd thing for Time Team to re-enact and some might say its a little bit distasteful. All in all it was an interesting experience and one that highlighted many aspects for me as an archaeologist. The re-enactment highlighted the social aspect, the community involvement in such a rite and what evidence there was for archaeologists today to identify such practices. Death in Anglo-Saxon times was not sterile, it was a part of life and a I think a much more healthier way to approach the passing of a loved one. At least I can say I've been to my own funeral no one else can say that, well at least no one that's alive...
