Wednesday 27 June 2012

Cow and woman found in Anglo-Saxon dig


Archaeologists excavating an Anglo-Saxon cemetery in Cambridgeshire say the discovery of a woman buried with a cow is a "genuinely bizarre" find. 

Archaeologists described the find as "unique in Europe" [Credit: BBC]
The grave was uncovered in Oakington by students from Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of Central Lancashire. 

At first it was thought the animal skeleton was a horse. 


Student Jake Nuttall said: "Male warriors might be buried with horses, but a woman and a cow is new to us." 


He added: "We were excited when we thought we had a horse, but realising it was a cow made it even more bizarre." 


Co-director of the excavation, Dr Duncan Sayer, from the University of Central Lancashire, said: "Animal burials are extremely rare, anyway.