Populating the Pots: The Demography of the Early Anglo-Saxon Cemeteries at Elsham and Cleatham, North Lincolnshire

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Our demographic knowledge of early Anglo-Saxon cemetery populations is highly valuable. This paper will present new demographic data from the Elsham and Cleatham cemeteries, both located in North Lincolnshire. These population structures will be compared with those recorded from contemporary cemeteries, including Sancton and Spong Hill. The observations made in this paper illustrate that the demographic profiles of cremation practicing groups are largely similar in nature. Two intriguing trends are verified by the Elsham and Cleatham assemblages, both of which include the under-representation of infants and males. This enlarged body of osteological data highlights that large amounts of information can be extracted from burned skeletal remains and can enhance our understanding of the demographic structure of cremation practicing groups in early Anglo-Saxon England.