Ivory bag rings have been found in more than 70 cemeteries across southern, central, and eastern England dating
to between the late-5th and 7th centuries AD. These rings are most frequently found in richly furnished female
graves, and would have served as the framework for bags that hung at the waist. Debate over the source of this
ivory has prevailed since the 19th century, with walrus and mammoth ivory considered as possible contenders to
elephantid ivory. Recent excavations at an early Anglo-Saxon cemetery in Scremby, Lincolnshire revealed a
number of elaborate female burials containing such bag rings. Using radiocarbon dating this study aimed to
establish whether the rings were contemporary with the burials before seeking to identify the species of ivory
through Zooarchaeology by mass spectrometry (ZooMS). Strontium analysis was also used to identify the place of
residence of the elephantids at the time of tusk formation. Through a multi-methodological approach, we have
established that the ivory used for the Scremby bag rings came from elephants living in an area of young volcanic
rocks in Africa at some point during the 5th and 6th centuries AD. This preliminary evidence allows us to
consider the networks and socio-economic factors that facilitated the distribution of ivory from Africa to the
British Isles at this time
