Anglo-Saxon Britain - Sutton Hoo

1. A magnificent Anglo-Saxon ship burial was discovered at Sutton Hoo in 1939.

2. It was found in a group of grassy burial mounds.

3. The land at Sutton Hoo was owned by Mrs Edith Pretty, who was interested in archaeology.

4. She employed a local archaeologist, Basil Brown, to open the mounds at Sutton Hoo

5. It is thought to be the grave of a seventh-century king of the East Angles.

6. The ship burial at Sutton Hoo was full of treasures.

7. The treasures included, weapons, brooches, shoulder clasps and belt fittings, ornaments, silverware and tableware

8. Skilled craftsmen made the belongings, which give an insight into life at the time.

9. It is thought that a long trench had been dug on top of high cliffs at Sutton Hoo and the ship dragged up the hill.

10. The ship was thirty metres long and almost five metres wide, it is the largest Anglo-Saxon ship ever discovered.

11. The ship had rotted, but a clear shape had been imprinted.

12. A burial chamber had been built in the centre of the ship with goods placed in it.

13. The king had been buried with a complete set of military equipment.

14. This was to symbolise his warrior status and emphasise his royalty.

15. The king’s body did not survive given the acid nature of the sand in which it was buried.

16. A wonderful helmet survived as a mass of tiny pieces and was reconstructed by the British Museum.

17. The helmet was made from iron with bronze decorative plates.

18. The face mask was remarkable, with eye sockets, eyebrows and nose and two small holes to breathe through.

19. A purse lid, probably originally attached to a wide leather belt, contained thirty-seven gold coins dated around AD 625.

20. Numerous exotic items were also discovered at Sutton Hoo, including silver bowls from the Byzantine world.

21. Further excavations at Sutton Hoo showed complex collection of burials, some royal, others victim of executions.

22. Mrs Pretty presented all the Sutton Hoo finds to the British Museum.