Dating to the 6-7th century AD, Sutton Hoo is a collection of 17 burial mounds in Sussex. Consisting of a ship burial, warrior graves and a rich array of grave goods, it has long been regarded as the most important British Anglo Saxon site. However, a hoard of anglo Saxon weapons fittings recently found in Staffordshire could be even more important.
Excavations of Sutton Hoo
The Sutton Hoo burials were first excavated in 1939. The first discovery was that of a 27 metres long ship dated to the 7th century AD. Although the timber had decayed, the outline of the ship, including that of the iron rivets used to hold it together, remained in the sand.
The ship was probably a trading vessel. It was also the last resting place for a richly buried individual believed to be Raedwald, a 7th century King of the Angles. Amongst his grave goods were the famous ‘Sutton Hoo helmet’, as well as various other gold and garnet weapons and ornaments from Sweden and 19 pieces of English gold work.
A further mound contained that of the ‘Sutton Hoo prince’. Identified as a young man in his twenties at the time of his death, his status was obvious from the possessions he was buried with. As well as fragments of his coffin, archaeologists found his sword, shield and the skeleton of his horse, complete with bronze tripped harness.
In 2000 a further, earlier Anglo Saxon cemetery site was discovered 500 metres north of the main Sutton hoo site. Although many of the bodies survive as little more than stains in the sand, each burial contains at least one item. Male graves are taken to be those with weapons and female those whose grave goods are jewellery or beads.
In all, 1.5kg of gold was found at Sutton Hoo, making it the largest haul of Anglo Saxon treasure until recently.
A New Anglo Saxon Hoard from Staffordshire
A hoard consisting of 5kg of gold and 2.5kg of silver has recently been discovered in a field in Staffordshire. Also dating to the 7th century AD, the hoard consists of 1500 separate pieces, making it larger than that of Sutton Hoo.
All the items relate exclusively to warfare. Amongst the items found are sword pommels, hilt plates and the remains of ceremonial crosses inscribed with biblical quotes translated into Anglo Saxon. It is believed these crosses could have acted as battle standards carried at the head of Anglo Saxon troops.
The hoard is thought to be a collection of battlefield trophies, possibly from one battle or a series of military campaigns. Whilst it exceeds Sutton Hoo's weight in gold, it is still under analysis. Its exact significance to the study of Anglo Saxon Britain and whether it exceeds or compliments that of Sutton Hoo has yet to be established
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