'Mourners laid the sword on the dead person's right-hand side, suggesting that's where the owner would have worn it in life. The site is important in understanding the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of East Anglia and the early Angl… Ready to teach. An enormous wooden shield was placed by the chamber's west wall (the head end of the burial). 'I felt a little jolt when I put this theory together. Well, these questions have kept archaeologists and historians guessing ever since the site was uncovered. The Anglo Saxon ship burial at Sutton Hoo. Sutton Hoo ship burial. Amateur archaeologist Basil Brown famously made the discovery of a lifetime back in 1939, when he brushed away the Suffolk soil and revealed the richest intact early medieval grave in Europe. Some scholars say this burial is the richest ever found in northern Europe. copyright 2000. It reveals a place of exquisite craftsmanship and extensive international connections, spanning Europe and beyond. In one particular grave, belonging to an important Anglo-Saxon warrior, some astonishing objects were buried, but there is little in the grave to make it clear who was buried there. In one particular grave, belonging to an important Anglo-Saxon warrior, some astonishing objects were buried, but there is little in the grave to make it clear who was buried there. On top of this lay a huge silver platter with stamps showing that it was made in Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire (today's Istanbul). One of which was the mystery of the missing body in the Great Ship Burial . Practice: Fibulae (quiz) Next lesson. 'This single burial in a pretty corner of Suffolk embodied a society of remarkable artistic achievement, complex belief systems and far-reaching international connections, not to mention immense personal power and wealth,' says Brunning. The Sutton Hoo burial ground in East Anglia, England, provides vivid evidence for attitudes to death immediately before the conversion of an English community to Christianity in the seventh century C.E. Weighing more than 400 grams, the buckle is actually a hollow box that opens at the back on a hinge beneath the loop. Sometime around 1,400 years ago, a great ship was hauled up from the East Anglian coast to Sutton Hoo, the site of an Anglo-Saxon burial ground. It was the grave goods within the burial chamber that drew the most attention. The platter was already a century old when buried at Sutton Hoo, and reflects East Anglia's long-distance connections. Sue Brunning, Curator of Early Medieval European Collections, says the burial was the final resting place of someone who had died in the early seventh century, during the Anglo-Saxon period – a time before 'England' existed. So the helmet found in the burial is usually taken as evidence that it belonged to one of the Kings of East Anglia. Artefacts from the burial ship can be seen in the Medieval Room at the British Museum. The year 1939 saw a rare a ray of light shine into the Dark Ages, and made people realise that the Anglo-Saxon period did not deserve that gloomy moniker. Weighing up the finds of such riches, along with the location of the mounds, only four miles from Rendlesham, where Bede says the King of East Anglia had his great hall, and the fact that the burial is pagan, it seems overwhelmingly likely that Mound 1 at Sutton Hoo is the ship burial of the great King Rædwald of East Anglia, who died in 624 or 625. England at this time was divided into a series of kingdoms and the incredible wealth displayed in this burial seemed to indicate that this was a royal burial. Introduction: Sutton Hoo. The Sutton Hoo Ship Burial: A General Background and Source List. Here, the ship became the last resting place of a king or a great warrior. Edith Pretty generously donated the finds to the museum in 1939, and those on view include the iconic helmet, a giant copy of which adorns the front of the visitor centre at Sutton Hoo. Its significance to the study of Beowulf is the interesting mix of Christian and pagan practices involved in the burial that mirrors a similar mix in beliefs in the poem. Founded about 600 C.E., and lasting a hundred years, Sutton Hoo contained only about twenty burials, most of them rich and unusual, spread over four hectares. After three excavations – in 1938/39, 1965/71 and 1986/92 – the Sutton Hoo burial ground continues to fascinate. The purse lid from Sutton Hoo … This information first appeared in BBC History Revealed magazine, Save over 50% on a gift subscription to their favourite history magazine. Among many priceless goods (armor, weapons, coins, intricate gold jewelry, silver drinking horns and trinkets, textiles, Byzantine treasures and fine clothes - all coming from all over Europe – there was also the famous Sutton Hoo helmet dated to 600– 650 AD. This was clearly the grave of an important person – someone meant to be remembered. For more information on how we use cookies and how to manage cookies, please follow the 'Read more' link, otherwise select 'Accept and close'. But the 1939 excavation carried out by Basil Brown and the other archaeologists was done so well that its results went on to transform our understanding of this time in history, and the lives and beliefs of the people who lived then. The most likely theory would seem to name the deceased as King Raedwald, an Anglo-Saxon leader who triumphed over Northumberland, but courted controversy when he erected an altar for Jesus Christ alongside one for the ‘old gods’. The centre houses exquisite replicas of many of the most important finds, made using traditional methods, plus a number of original pieces. Pretty called upon the services of a self-taught archaeologist, Basil Brown, who made the discovery. 1,400 years ago, a king or great warrior of East Anglia was laid to rest in a 90ft ship, surrounded by his extraordinary treasures. Explore the many wild and wonderful depictions of animals found in the Museum's collection. Most have long since been plundered by grave robbers, but the tomb uncovered at Mound Seventeen was another hugely significant find, revealing a young warrior and his horse, buried complete with not just his weapons but also everyday items such as cooking tools and a comb. The internment of a ship at Sutton Hoo represents the most impressive medieval grave to be discovered in Europe. Much of these artifacts can today be found in the British Museum in London. Up Next. The simple answer is: we don’t know. All feedback appreciated. You're now subscribed to our newsletter. He may have held power over neighbouring kingdoms too, which may have earned him a good send off.'. And what can the Sutton Hoo excavation tell us about Anglo-Saxon society? The Sutton Hoo Ship Burial The ship at Sutton Hoo under excavation: In 1939, a seventh-century ship burial was excavated at Sutton Hoo near Woodbridge in Suffolk. Indeed, this fusing of Christian and traditional religious elements offers a fascinating insight into Britain at a time when Christianity was establishing a real stronghold. In Mound No. He died in about 616 ce. Sutton Hoo, estate near Woodbridge, Suffolk, England, that is the site of an early medieval burial ground that includes the grave or cenotaph of an Anglo-Saxon king. This spectacular gold buckle from the Sutton Hoo ship burial shows that the person commemorated there was of great importance. But who was it? The Sutton Hoo Anastasius Dish, silver, Britain, AD 491–518. Below these were two silver spoons, also probably Byzantine, their handles inscribed in Greek. There’s also a full-size reconstruction of the burial chamber, which brings home the scale of the find. Many of the pieces would have been produced by master craftsmen. Helmet, early seventh century. Between 1965-1971, archaeologists returned to Sutton Hoo to try and answer some key questions posed by the 1939 excavation and subsequent analysis. She highlights the effort and manpower that would have been necessary to position and bury the ship – it would have involved dragging the ship uphill from the River Deben, digging a large trench, cutting trees to craft the chamber, dressing it with finery and raising the mound. The platter was already a century old when buried at Sutton Hoo, and reflects East Anglia's long-distance connections. But who was buried there and what did it reveal about this period in history? Treasure, mystery and a patchwork historical narrative to place the evidence alongside. Brunning's study of the Sutton Hoo sword has led her to believe that the owner was left-handed, with patterns of wear indicating it was worn on the right side and carried in the left hand. The Sutton Hoo ship burial. Sutton Hoo near Woodbridge, in Suffolk, England, is the site of two early medieval cemeteries that date from the 6th to 7th centuries. The iconic Sutton Hoo helmet was wrapped in cloth and laid near the left side of the dead person's head. She continues: Purse lid from the Sutton Hoo ship burial. ', Brunning extrapolates that being left-handed could have provided an advantage in battle as most combatants might be anticipating a right-handed attack. The burial mounds at Sutton Hoo The ship burial unearthed in 1939.