Heirlooms Under-‘Cover’: Identifying Curated Swords and Scabbards Deposited in Early Medieval Burials

EARLY MEDIEVAL SWORDS have been a popular subject of historic and archaeological study in recent years. Swords have been found within the wealthiest early Anglo-Saxon furnished burials (the 5th–7th centuries ad) and have been recorded as highly decorated objects representing social status. From both archaeological and literary evidence, early medieval swords have been considered as likely ‘heirloom status objects’, curated and inherited over multiple generations. However, until recently there has been no direct study of the curation of swords. This is due to the problematic chronological nature of sword components, and because almost all are from burial contexts of the early Anglo-Saxon period. This study analysed graves containing swords from Kentish cemeteries of the 5th–7th centuries AD, and identified two examples of potential curation strategies through sword scabbard pieces chronologically older than the depositional context or individual within the grave. The evidence supports the belief that swords were recognisable heirlooms within early medieval communities, displaying the biography of the weapon, owner, and family. The recognition of an heirloom sword within a burial tableau would have been a socially noticeable action, affecting the collective memory of the mourners gathered at the funeral during a time of social and political stratification.