. The arts in early England. was only gradually thatthe temenos or enclosed area around the country church wasmade the effective place of burial for the local population, andit would be very interesting to know exactly when and underwhat conditions this change worked itself out. Some archaeo-logical evidence will be adduced later on (p. 172 f.) tending toshow that this change was accomplished sooner in this countrythan on the Continent, for late objects are less often found inour own non-ecclesiastical ceme-teries than in foreign ones. Pagan cemeteries were cer-tainly in use even for the buria
. The arts in early England. was only gradually thatthe temenos or enclosed area around the country church wasmade the effective place of burial for the local population, andit would be very interesting to know exactly when and underwhat conditions this change worked itself out. Some archaeo-logical evidence will be adduced later on (p. 172 f.) tending toshow that this change was accomplished sooner in this countrythan on the Continent, for late objects are less often found inour own non-ecclesiastical ceme-teries than in foreign ones. Pagan cemeteries were cer-tainly in use even for the burial ofChristians during VII. One or twoexamples that bear on this may herebe introduced. What are at firstsight the most striking cases occurat Strood by Rochester in Kentand at Long Wittenham, Berks, atboth of which places were foundbronze plates, that had mountedor covered, in the one case a drinking horn, in the other a pailor stoup, and on which figure subjects from scripture had been 1 The Arts in Marly England, 1, 256 Fig. 1.—Outline of Design onthe Strood Mount. n6 THE ANGLO-SAXON CEMETERY represented in repousse work in relief. The Strood piece isshown PL x, i, and the design which is repeated six timesround the mouth of the horn is given more clearly in Fig. i .*The subject is probably Christ as Teacher. This is un-doubtedly Christian, but whether the owner of it was anadherent of the new faith is another question. It was foundin the grave of a warrior buried with sword, spear, shieldand knife on a site contiguous with the old Roman cemeterythat lay along the course of the Watling Street on thewestern side of the Medway opposite Strood church. NowRochester received a Christian church at the very beginningof VII,2 and as this was monastic it may have supplied grave-yard accommodation for the faithful,3 yet we find a bodyburied with distinctly Christian grave furniture close to thepagan Roman cemetery across the river. It is quite possiblethat as the weapons suggest
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