M.J. Rose

LONDON Archeologists excavating near Cambridge have stumbled upon a rare and mysterious find: The skeleton of a seventh-century teenager buried in an ornamental bed along with a gold-and-garnet cross, an iron knife and a purse full of glass beads.

Experts say the grave is an example of an unusual Anglo-Saxon funerary practice of which very little is known. Just over a dozen of these “bed burials” have been found in Britain, and it’s one of only two in which a pectoral cross — meant to be worn over the chest — has been discovered.

One archeologist said the burial opened a window into the transitional period when the pagan Anglo-Saxons were gradually adopting Christianity, a few centuries after Romans introduced it to the native Britons.

“We are right at the brink of the coming of Christianity back to England,” said Alison Dickens, the manager of Cambridge University’s Archeological Unit. “What we have here is a very early adopter.”

The grave, dated between AD 650 and 680, was discovered about a year ago in a corner of Trumpington Meadows, a rural area just outside Cambridge that is slated for development.

Dickens said the teen’s grave was interesting because it had a mix of traditional grave goods…

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