ANGLO-SAXON REMAINS interment of the body had never taken place, and that this was in fact a Saxon cenotaph. 1 The other instance was at Taplow, Bucks, and the resemblance here is certainly too close to be accidental. To judge from the contents, both were the graves of leaders among men ; and in spite of their distance apart and the difference in race that such distance would otherwise suggest, it is hard to believe that the two warriors were not of the same race and period. Of the two the Taplow grave is the richer, and is an excellent example of the type that is somewhat imperfectly repre- sented at Broomfield. Though commonly known as a Viking's grave, 2 the Taplow barrow is really earlier than the first appearance of the Northmen towards the middle of the ninth century ; and a comparison of the relics with others in the same room at the British Museum will serve to fix the dates within fairly narrow limits. Of the characteristic Viking ornaments there is not a trace, and the gold buckle that formed the chief treasure of the discovery finds the closest of parallels in the wonderful jewellery of the Kentish graves. It is apparent at once from the respective ground-plans that the two graves were cut in exactly the same direction, namely east-south-east and west-north-west ; and both were of ample dimensions, though the richer was also the longer by about 4 feet. For the sake of convenience either grave may be considered to be in a line running east and west ; and in the north-west corner, where a shield-boss was found at Broomfield, two shields had evidently been deposited at Taplow. Very near these must have been the handle of the sword in either grave ; and while the iron blade alone was found at Taplow, the pommel and perhaps another part were found in addition at Broomfield. About the centre in each case was a large bronze pan or bucket containing two glass drinking vessels and two horns. The glasses are of different forms, but both pairs excel- lent of their kind ; but the cow's horns of the Essex grave are but poor substitutes for the Taplow drinking-horns with their silver-gilt mountings and bountiful capacity. Near these groups, but more to the south, were a pair of iron buckets at Broomfield, and one of bronze at Taplow ; and a little to the west was found in the latter case a remarkable bronze vase standing 1 1 inches high, with vandyked rim and drop-handles. Nothing of quite the same kind has hitherto been found in the country ; but its rarity may suggest an explanation of the equally rare object found in the corresponding place at Broomfield. Though of iron and roughly made, there can be little doubt that this was intended to serve the same purpose as the magnificent bronze vessel that it equals in height and roughly corresponds to in form. At the south-west end the Taplow grave contained fragments of wood and iron that tally well with the iron cauldron, capable of holding 1 Faussctt, Inventorium Stpulchrale, p. 96. It is thus described in the Illustrated LmJon Newt, Nov. 17, 1883 ; the Pictorial H'orU, Dec. 27, 1883, and elsewhere. 325
