19th December 2005, 08:17 PM
Quote:quote:[i]Using the sword, shield and spear as grave goods speaks, in my opinion, loudly that the person in the grave must have earned the right, in the eyes of those who placed them there, to carry those weapons.
The other possibility is that the mourners choose grave goods to reflect their own status rather than that of the deceased. A warrior might choose to give up a valued weapon as a grave offering, because of the social reflection on their generosity and social standing rather than as a indicator of the 'martial' achievements of the deceased. Hence the sex or age of the deceased is in effect irrelevant.