As a child, she emigrated from Central Europe, probably from southern Germany, to faraway England. Her life took a radical turn, but she ended abruptly at the age of 16, probably due to illness. In the middle of the 7th century, she was buried near Cambridge with an incredibly rare gold and garnet cross (the 'Trumpington Cross') hanging around her neck.
The face of this mysterious young woman, whose remains were discovered in Trumpington Meadows in 2012, has been reconstructed based on her skull and has been publicly exhibited for the first time this Wednesday June 21 at the launch of a new exhibition at the Museum of Archeology and Anthropology at Cambridge.
Forensic artist Hew Morrison created the image using skull measurements and tissue depth data from the Caucasian women. Though without the DNA analysis, Morrison couldn't be sure of her exact eye and hair color. “Her left eye of hers was slightly lower, about half a centimeter, than her right. This had to be quite noticeable during his lifetime, ”he explains in a statement.
Isotopic analysis of the youngster's bones and teeth by Cambridge University bioarchaeologists and archaeologists also reveals that she moved to England from somewhere near the Alps sometime after her 7th birthday.
When he started living in the British Isles, the proportion of protein in his diet decreased by a small but significant amount. This change occurred near the end of her young life, showing that the period between his migration and burial near Cambridge was tragically short.
“She was quite a young girl when she moved, probably from a part of southern Germany, near the Alps, to a very flat part of England. She probably wasn't feeling well and she traveled a long way to a completely unknown place, even the food was different. She must have been terrifying,” states Dr. Sam Leggett.
Previous analyzes indicated that the young woman had suffered from an illness, although the cause of her death could not be identified. She and she was buried in a remarkable way: lying on a wooden bed carved with the cross, gold pins and fine clothing. His is one of 18 bed burials discovered in the UK.
His ornate cross, combining gold and garnet, is one of only five of its kind to have been found in Britain (the best-known example of such a cross was found on St Cuthbert's coffin). He identifies her as one of the first converts to Christianity in England and as a member of the aristocracy, and even royalty.
In AD 597, the Pope sent Saint Augustine to England on a mission to convert the Anglo-Saxon pagan kings, a process that continued for decades. “It appears that she was part of an elite group of women who probably traveled from continental Europe in the seventh century, but they remain a mystery. Were they political girlfriends or perhaps girlfriends of Christ?", the researchers wonder.
“These are intriguing finds,” says Dr. Sam Lucy, a specialist in Anglo-Saxon burials. Combining the new isotopic results with research on bed burials does seem to suggest the movement of a small group of elite young women from a mountainous area of continental Europe to the Cambridge region in the third quarter of the seventh century."
In the exhibit beginning Wednesday, the 'Trumpington Cross' will be on display alongside the delicate gold and garnet pins connected by a gold chain, which were found near the teenager's neck. These pins probably secured a long veil to a fine linen outer garment. The decorative headboard of the funeral bed will also be exhibited.
