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WINDSOR — Windsor has apparently been home to royalty for some time. Not far from Windsor Castle, the burial site of a 4,500-year-old "important woman" was found buried with a gold necklace and an elaborately decorated drinking vessel.
The find represents the oldest known example of a woman being buried with gold in the British Isles and one of the earliest examples of gold being used there period.
That fact means that the woman was likely very important, according to archaeologists, and could represent the highest status level within her community. Only those at the top of the social strata would have had access to exotic items like gold, as well as the amber and lignite which were also found at the site.
"She could have been a leader, a person with power and authority, or possibly part of an elite family — perhaps a princess or queen," said Site Director Gareth Chaffey with Wessex Archaeology.
The woman, who was roughly 35 when she died, represents a member of the Beaker Culture, an ancient culture from the European continent that came to the British Isles around 2,500 B.C.E and were the first people there to use copper and gold. The culture was named after the characteristic beaker pottery they used, an example of which was found on the woman.
Also of great importance is the fact that the exotic items found on the body came from various sites around the British Isles, indicating a high level of organization over a wide distance. The gold was likely mined in southern Ireland or England, while the lignite probably came from the east. The amber could have come from the Baltic region or England's east coast.
Burials of this kind are rare in the Windsor area, which made the find quite unexpected. But researchers hope to uncover more.
Alistair Barklay of Wessex Archaeology said that "we know from recent research that an extensive prehistoric landscape is buried beneath the edge of West London and East Berkshire."
The items will be placed on display in late April, and archaeologists hope to place them on permanent display at a local museum.
