ABSTRACT
Previous studies of the early Anglo-Saxon period have established the social importance of the funerals held within cemetery landscapes. It is well understood that the creation of the burial tableau along with the gathering of mourners at the graveside was a platform for the mediation of identities, social status, and social remembrance, while also indicating evidence of social competition. However, the small-scale social changes in the period that are attributed to local competition among families during funerals have been neglected in discussions of the large-scale social changes in the period: the increased social stratification, consolidation of power, and the formation of the first Anglo-Saxon kingdoms in the 7th century CE.
This chapter revisits previous interpretations of early Anglo-Saxon funerary rituals, demonstrating that future studies need to address the specific motives and roles of the participants in the burial process in order to better evaluate funerals as prominent, strategic moments of deliberate social change with multiscalar effects. The chapter then examines evidence of participation in the different stages of burial and interprets their likely motivation. By identifying and exploring the mnemonic effects of strategic participation throughout funerary performances, this chapter develops our understanding of the socio-political motives of the living in burying and commemorating the dead. Rather than a passing result of funerary rites, this chapter argues that social competition and political reorganisation was at the forefront of the strategic participation in funerals orchestrated by kin groups and families during this period.
