The Amesbury Archer: The King of Stonehenge?

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• 1. An Early Bronze Age grave
• 2. The Amesbury Archer
• 3. Symbols of status
• 4. Grave contents
• 5. The Archer's companion
• 6. King of Stonehenge?
• 7. A European élite
• 8. Find out more
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Symbols of status

The bones of the man found inside showed that he was a strong man, who had lived to be 35 to 45 years old - a good age to have reached in the Early Bronze Age. For much of his life he had been disabled as the result of a traumatic injury to his left knee. This had caused an infection of the bone, which would have left him in constant pain, as the injury would have discharged every day of his life, and it would have smelt. The tooth abscess that had penetrated his jaw would have smelt too. But he survived, walking with a pronounced limp and carrying his weight on his right leg.

'What is atypical is the sheer quantity of these grave goods.'

At his death, his mourners buried him in the way that was typical of the time, on his side and slightly curled up, as if he was asleep. The offerings placed beside him - the accoutrements of a hunter or warrior and other symbols of status - are also typical of the time. What is atypical is the sheer quantity of these grave goods.

Some of the objects hint how he was dressed or adorned when he was buried. On his forearm was a black coloured sandstone wrist-guard, or bracer. This both protected his arm from the recoil of the bow he would have used when hunting or fighting and acted as a symbol of status. Next to the wristguard was a bone pin, which may have held a cloak, perhaps of leather. A copper knife was also found, partly covered by his torso, this may have been placed by his side, or worn in a sheath on his chest.

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