Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 8.djvu/241

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to the illustrious dead. It is composed of a frame-work of wood, surrounded and kept together by three circlets of fine bronze metal, 1¼ in. wide, the lower rim skilfully turned up at the edge and well finished. These are held in their places by four uprights, of the same metal, placed at equal distances, ornamented at intervals by recurved horn-shaped pieces of metal, with curious grotesque terminations, and rivetted in a workman-like manner to the upright parts. The lower rim was surrounded by stamped metal of thin bronze, 2½ in. high, terminating in a series of decorative triangular plates of thin bronze, as seen in the plate; the whole forming an ellipsis of 8¾ in. by 7, and 8 in. high. Under the breast was found a spear-head of iron, not differing in form from those of the period to which these remains have been attributed; and on the right side the small iron knife or dagger (see Plate) often found to be characteristic of this mode of sepulture. Upon the tibia lay an iron umbo, or boss, the only remnant of the shield. This, with the peculiar markings of the bronze ornaments, led to the conclusion that this interesting relic was of early Saxon date.

The cranium, of which the whole portion, from the occipital to the frontal bone, is entire, presents a remarkable conformation, and has excited the attention of the members of the medical profession to whom it has been submitted, the measurement from each extremity is largely out of proportion, forming an elongated oval of extraordinary dimensions; this curious relic of mortality will, with three others of similar malformation, which have been found in Cambridgeshire within the last ten years, form a subject of interesting investigation. They have been submitted to Dr. Thurnam, who is about to favour us with the result of his discriminating observations upon these and other distortions of the human cranium.

That this bronze ornament was intended as the insignia of honour—as a crown to the illustrious dead, I have no doubt; although this assertion is in opposition to the ideas VOL. VIII. ^ A A