On Material Culture

The pre-Christian Germanic peoples inhabiting the British Isles are thought to have been very much materialistic. They placed value on material items, to the point that they would even be buried with particular items.

 

Material wealth was a very clear sign of social status. Not just *what* you had, but how well made and decorated the things you had were.

 

Even more prestige could be gained from having hard to attain, exotic items.

 

In 1939, Basil Brown (at the behest of Mrs Edith Pretty) began to excavate a mound on Mrs Pretty's land. This mound came to be known as "Mound 1" of the Sutton Hoo Anglo-Saxon cemetery, and contained a lavish ship burial, likely of the 7th century East Anglian king Rædwald (died c.624).

 

The Sutton Hoo helmet, undoubted centrepiece of the Sutton Hoo hoard, is a work of beauty, but strongly parallels the styles of helmets found in the Vendel and Valsgärde cemeteries of eastern Sweden (but exceeds them all in terms of quality of workmanship), whilst the shoulder clasps carry an echo of Roman aesthetic.

 

Also within the hoard was a set of ten silver bowls, likely originating from the Byzantine Empire, along with two silvers spoons bearing the names "PAULOS" and "SAULOS", after the apostles.

 

Numerous other exotic items were also recovered from Mound 1, showing the one-time inhabitant to have been a man of great wealth and social standing. Indeed, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle refers to Rædwald as "bretwalda" centuries later. Bretwalda is thought to mean "wide-ruler" or "Britain-ruler".

 

To be the bretwalda would mean that other kings would pay tribute to you, in return for protection from your armies and, perhaps, from the armies of others.

 

This, of course, represents the most elite level of Germanic society, so what of those of lower status? I think that the love of beautiful things permeated all levels of society and that, even if one could not afford Roman silver or Sri Lankan garnets, one could ornament one's possessions through carving and, perhaps, painting. But prestige would still be gained by having something made well for you, rather than making something crude for yourself.

 

In a period when items were (generally) far less disposable than they would be today, things were valued more. More effort went into their manufacture, and more worth was placed on them. As such, it is only logical to deduce that the early Germanic peoples were far *more* materialistic than we are, today.

 

How I would suggest that such a way of thinking could be incorporated in contemporary times, would be to say that a move away from disposable "consumer" culture and towards a more retentive "maintainer" attitude. It's not just about having "all the things"; it is about having good things that you can pass on to the next generation to cherish. With time, even objects can collect their own stories. Would it not be something to leave a physical legacy for your great grandchildren to use as a touchstone for remembering you?