‘Richest Grave This Year’ Unearthed at an Anglo-Saxon Cemetery in England

A team of military veterans and archaeologists have found “the richest grave uncovered this year” during a final dig at the Avon Camp cemetery in England.

The Anglo-Saxon cemetery, where the majority of the 70 graves date to the 6th century CE, sits on military training grounds in Salisbury Plain.

There they uncovered a 1,400-year-old large bone and antler comb and iron shears.

The excavation is part of the program Operation Nightingale aimed at supporting military veterans by having them participate in archaeological digs. The team was joined by members of the Army Widows’ Association, which supports widows and widowers of servicemen and women.

“This dig is part of an award-winning programme that supports the health and wellbeing of wounded, injured and sick service personnel and military veterans,” Andrew Murrison, parliamentary under secretary of state at the ministry of defense, said in a statement.

“[T]his site has provided some incredible archaeology and allowed us to gain a real understanding of what life was like for people living on this land in the 7th century. As well as allowing us to capture this historically important information from a site that is listed on the Heritage at Risk Register, we can provide information that supports the stewardship of the estate, which helps us to balance preservation with the needs of what is also a military training area,” head archaeologist Richard Osgood added.

Two previous digs at the site in 2021 and 2022 unearthed artifacts such as Roman coins, bronze and silver discs, and a necklace made of glass beads. The teams previously uncovered roughly 26 burials in 22 graves.