The Sixth Century

The custom of burial with objects spread further west during the sixth century and conflict between different groups of people were probably endemic. Agriculture was affected in the middle part of the century by a natural catastrophe, and this probably kept the population level low. Mediterranean goods continued to reach the west, boosting the prestige of its leaders, and objects made on the continent were found in some graves in the east. By the end of the century, a few very rich graves begin to signal more extreme social differentiation. Cremation continued to be practised, but its scale reduced.