Sutton Hoo

Sutton Hoo, hill on the Suffolk coast opposite the town of Woodbridge, which, at its discovery in 1939, was the site of the richest ship burial unearthed in Europe. It was discovered when one of the 11 burial mounds at the site was excavated. The wealth of the deposit, including many objects of gold and works of unsurpassed craftsmanship, indicate that it was probably the grave of a royal personage from the early Anglo-Saxon era. Likely candidates include King Raedwald of East Anglia, who died c. 627, or Aethelhere, who died in battle in Northumbria in c. 654-655. The ship itself, originally over 27 m (90 ft) long and equipped with 38 oars, was preserved as an impression in the sand with the iron bolts still in position.

Christian ideas had begun to have some influence in England (St Augustine had arrived in ad 597), and the Sutton Hoo burial shows an interesting mixture of Christian and pagan ideas. The concept of a ship burial itself represents a wholly pagan rite, but as well as objects such as coins, a sword and helmet, shield, and jewellery, the grave goods included a Byzantine bowl and spoons that may have been connected with a Christian baptism ritual. The presence of a Christian influence may help to explain one intriguing aspect of Sutton Hoo: the absence of a body. The body may have been given a Christian burial elsewhere, while the ship burial served as a pagan “cenotaph”. Other theories suggest that the body may have been cremated, been lost in battle elsewhere, or completely disappeared due to acid soil conditions.

In the summer of 2000, during preparation work for a new visitors centre, an Anglo-Saxon cemetery was uncovered at the site. The cemetery, which is located about 500 m (550 yd) from the boat itself, contains both cremations and burials from the 6th and 7th centuries. Various artefacts accompanied the burials including a rare bronze hanging bowl.