A recent study published in the European Journal of Archaeology by Dr. Astrid Noterman delves into the rare and fascinating bed burials of medieval Europe. These burials, which have been discovered primarily in Germany, England, and Scandinavia, offer a unique lens through which historians and archaeologists can explore medieval burial customs, social status, and migration patterns. The study, titled Sharing a Bed but Nothing Else: Bed Burial Traditions in First Millennium AD Europe (2025), reveals the striking diversity of this practice and raises intriguing questions about its cultural significance and geographical spread across Europe. Noterman’s research provides an in-depth analysis of these burials, aiming to understand the regional differences in the tradition and the broader implications for medieval society.
Bed Burials in Germany: Simplicity and Locality
In Germany, the tradition of bed burials is most commonly associated with cemeteries that lack distinctive features, making them difficult to categorize at first glance. These burials typically involve a simple wooden bed frame, with the deceased placed on top. The grave goods accompanying these burials are often modest, with common items including wooden bowls, rings, and occasionally more elaborate possessions such as lyres, candelabras, or double chairs. The lack of standardized burial practices in these cemeteries suggests a more localized approach to death and burial rituals, with each cemetery reflecting the customs and preferences of its immediate community.
One of the most notable features of German bed burials is the consistent presence of weaving equipment in female graves. Items such as spindle whorls, needles, and wooden distaffs are frequently found in association with these burials, indicating the importance of textile production in the daily lives of the deceased. These items may also reflect the social status of the individual, suggesting that those buried with such tools were involved in household economies, particularly in the production of wool or linen. Dr. Noterman’s research sheds light on how these objects may have held symbolic meaning, potentially reflecting the role of women in medieval German society, particularly in rural and artisan contexts.
England’s Unique Approach to Bed Burials
In England, bed burials take on a slightly different form. They are often found in the remains of dismantled beds, sometimes located within small burial mounds. This reuse of ancient burial sites is a well-documented phenomenon in England, which is not unique to bed burials but extends to other burial practices as well. The presence of dismantled beds suggests that the English practice was more symbolic, with beds not always being used as literal resting places for the deceased but rather as markers of status or specific burial traditions. Bed burials in England, unlike their German counterparts, often seem to be integrated into pre-existing, older burial sites, indicating a practice that was intertwined with long-standing traditions of ancestor worship or the reuse of sacred spaces.
An interesting aspect of English bed burials is their gender distribution. While most of the bed burials uncovered in Germany and Scandinavia involved both males and females, English bed burials are overwhelmingly associated with females. One notable exception to this trend is a male bed burial discovered at Lapwing Hill in Derbyshire. This male burial, along with several others in England, has raised questions about the role of gender in burial practices and how these practices may have evolved over time. Additionally, isotopic analysis of several English bed burials, including those found at Edix Hill and Trumpington, revealed that the individuals buried in these sites were not necessarily local to England. In fact, many of the people interred in these bed graves had origins in continental Europe, suggesting that migration and trade played a significant role in the spread of burial traditions across the continent.
Scandinavian Bed Burials: Monumental and Distinct
Scandinavia presents an entirely different picture when it comes to bed burials. Unlike the more localized and simple traditions seen in Germany and England, Scandinavian bed burials are often monumental in scale and can be associated with larger burial mounds or ship graves. These large-scale burials, such as the famous ship burials at Gokstad and Oseberg, represent a clear break from the more modest bed burials seen in other parts of Europe. The ship burials, in particular, reflect a society that valued not only the social status of the deceased but also the importance of their journey in the afterlife.
What makes Scandinavian bed burials particularly intriguing is their deliberate positioning near waterways, suggesting that these burial sites were intended to be seen from afar. The prominent placement of these graves near trade routes emphasizes the importance of the deceased’s social standing within the broader community. Unlike in Germany and England, where bed burials are often seen as part of a larger cemetery, Scandinavian bed burials are frequently isolated, standing as individual monuments. The lavish grave goods found in these burials—ranging from elaborate weapons to jewelry—further illustrate the high status of those buried in these mounds. These practices also reflect a strong belief in the afterlife, with the deceased being interred with goods that were believed to assist them in their journey beyond.
The Age and Origins of the Deceased: A Regional Distinction
Dr. Noterman’s study also uncovers significant regional differences in the age of individuals buried in bed graves. In Germany, child burials typically involve children between the ages of three and seven, while in England, the typical age range is between thirteen and eighteen. This age discrepancy may provide clues about the differing cultural views on childhood and adulthood in these two regions. The presence of older children in English bed burials could reflect the greater social significance placed on older adolescents in English medieval society, where they may have been considered closer to adulthood than in continental Europe.
Further isotopic analysis revealed that while many of the German bed burials involved individuals who were local to the region, those found in England and Scandinavia showed evidence of migration. For instance, the individuals interred at Edix Hill and Trumpington were revealed to have grown up in continental Europe, while two women buried in the Oseberg ship burial had origins in the Black Sea region. These findings suggest that bed burials may have been a localized European tradition, which was introduced and spread through migration. This highlights the interconnectedness of medieval European societies and the role of trade and migration in the exchange of cultural practices and beliefs.
