| dc.description.abstract | This dissertation explores the relationship between animal and human motifs on early Anglo-Saxon (AD 450–650) artefacts and the individuals with whom the objects are buried, as well as the wider communities to which they belong. A sample of sites was taken from the two historical regions of East Anglia and Wessex, compiling data such as object type and material, sex and age of individuals, and the human and animal motifs depicted. From a total of 32 sites, 5560 graves were analyzed; of these, 198 graves from 28 sites contained artefacts with anthropomorphic and/or zoomorphic decoration. Anthropological and material culture theories of totemism, shamanism, animism, and object agency were employed in the interpretation of results to consider the symbolic meaning of anthropomorphically- and zoomorphically-decorated objects, and how they may have reflected the social organization and ideologies of communities in early Anglo-Saxon England. This regional analysis brought geographically-distinct findings, such as differences in the types of motifs and materials used on anthropomorphic/zoomorphic objects, arguing for the existence of varied ontological beliefs including totemism, shamanism, and animism. It also enabled the investigation of widespread tendencies of motif usage throughout England during the early period, which showed a lack of observable patterns in the combinations of species used, implying the absence of a uniform set of ontological beliefs. | en_GB |
