Archaeologists from the College of Studying have been performing excavations on the grounds of the Holy Trinity Church in Cookham, a small village on the River Thames in England. They’ve been trying to find the ruins of a long-lost early medieval monastery, which was constructed greater than 1,300 years in the past within the eighth century AD. They’ve now pinpointed the monastery, well-known as a result of it had as soon as been run by considered one of medieval England’s most revered (if controversial) girls, Mercia’s Queen Cynethryth.

Seek for the Lacking Anglo-Saxon Monastery

In a press release issued by their college division, the archaeological group introduced that they’d discovered what they’d been searching for. The village of Cookham is positioned within the county of Berkshire, 29 miles (47 kilometers) west of London, and at the moment was part of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia.

The stays of the Queen’s monastery, which included wood buildings and all kinds of artifacts, had been unearthed proper subsequent to the spot the place the church was later constructed, solely a stone’s throw away from the banks of the Thames.

“The misplaced monastery of Cookham has puzzled historians, with quite a few theories put ahead for its location,” defined College of Studying archaeologist Dr. Gabor Thomas, who’s main the continuing excavations.  “We got down to resolve this thriller as soon as and for all.”

Their mission has now been accomplished, they usually’ve recovered 1000’s of artifacts throughout their excavations, which paint an image of a monastery that was generously populated and a beehive of productive exercise.

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Excavations have taken place this summer season, led by archaeologists from the College of Studying. (University of Reading)

Hundreds of Anglo-Saxon Artifacts Uncovered

The record of artifacts they’ve discovered embody iron instruments, bronze jewellery, ceramic vessels for cooking and meals storage, steel pots and pans, three girls’s costume pins, a bit of a bone comb, and volcanic stones used for flour making. Additionally they discovered the remnants of three timber buildings, which they consider should have been used for housing. They uncovered a cluster of hearths that seem to have been a part of a metalworking operation.

The archaeologists additionally dug up massive collections of discarded animal bones, from cattle, pigs, sheep, and chickens. These would have been consumed throughout massive group feasts, sponsored for worshippers by the nuns and monks residing on the monastery.

The general impression derived from this eclectic mixture of artifacts and ruins is that the monastery was fairly affluent. This isn’t shocking, given the famed Queen Cynethryth’s reference to this establishment.

“Regardless of its documented royal associations, barely something is understood about what life was like at this monastery, or others on this stretch of the Thames, on account of an absence of archaeological proof,” Dr. Thomas famous. “The objects which have been uncovered will permit us to piece collectively an in depth impression of how the monks and nuns who lived right here ate, labored and dressed. It will shed new mild on how Anglo-Saxon monasteries had been organized and what life was like in them.”

“The positioning is of nationwide significance,” he continued. “It’s extraordinarily uncommon to search out such a variety of Anglo-Saxon artifacts and such high-quality preservation.”

Cash that includes Queen Cynethryth, the one Anglo Saxon queen to characteristic on cash in her personal proper. (Classical Numismatic Group, Inc /CC BY-SA 3.0)

Remembering Queen Cynethryth of Mercia

One of many main explanation why archaeologists have been trying to find the monastery is due to its relationship to Queen Cynethryth.

She gained her title by way of her marriage to the bold and celebrated King Offa, who dominated over Mercia when it was probably the most highly effective Anglo-Saxon kingdom within the area. The period by which King Offa and Queen Cynethryth lived is called “The Golden Age of Mercia,” in recognition of Mercia’s prosperity and political affect over weaker neighboring kingdoms.

Whereas her title of queen was honorary, there isn’t a doubt Cynethryth was held in excessive esteem. She had the excellence of being the one girl from that interval to have her picture engraved on the face of a coin.

“Cynethryth is an interesting determine, a feminine chief who clearly had real standing and affect in her lifetime,” Dr. Thomas stated. “Not solely had been cash minted together with her picture, however it’s recognized that when the highly effective European chief Charlemagne wrote to his English counterparts, he wrote collectively to each King Offa and Queen Cynethryth, giving each equal standing.”

Regardless of the Queen’s standing had been, it modified after her husband died in 796. Not eligible to turn out to be his successor (that honor went to Cynethryth and Offa’s oldest son), she joined a non secular order and was appointed the top of the monastery in Cookham.

This was considered one of many Mercian monasteries that had been opened alongside the Thames through the eighth century, with the help and encouragement of the Mercian monarchy and aristocracy. Cookham was widely known as crucial monastery, nevertheless, even earlier than the Queen was despatched there.

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Many artifacts have been recovered and will likely be examined to make clear monastery life on the time. (University of Reading)

Spiritual Devotion with Ulterior Motives

Mercian monasteries within the right now weren’t simply retreats or contemplation house for spiritual devotees. Actually, they had been there primarily to symbolize the pursuits of the Mercian kingdom.

Within the eighth century, the assorted Anglo-Saxon kingdoms that occupied England had been every keen on gaining management over the Thames River Valley. It was an important artery for each commerce and transportation, operating by way of the center of English territory earlier than heading immediately into London.

Like the opposite powers, the Mercians had been keen on controlling commerce alongside the Thames. Past their spiritual significance, their monasteries had been designed to operate as industrial and political outposts—and none was extra very important than the monastery at Cookham.

Cookham had been a busy river port for the reason that days of the Romans. It was additionally a crossing level for a now-vanished street that linked individuals on one facet of the Thames with the opposite. Cookham was simply upriver from London, and so long as the Mercians maintained a powerful presence there they had been assured easy accessibility to the area’s most essential metropolis.

The perfect indicator of how a lot the Mercians valued the monastery at Cookham was the truth that they selected to place the dominion’s famend Queen in cost. From a political and strategic standpoint, she was the proper choice.

It was strikes like these that helped Mercia prosper throughout their so-called Golden Age, which lasted from the seventh by way of the ninth centuries. With the placement of their most essential and influential monastery now revealed, archaeologists exploring there are having fun with their very own model of a Golden Age, targeted on exploration and studying quite than wealth and prosperity.

Prime picture: The stays of the monastery of Queen Cynethryth had been present in a area subsequent to the parish church of Cookham, subsequent to the River Thames.    Supply: University of Reading

By Nathan Falde