AD 700 - Sutton Hoo - A new cemetery?
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| AD 700 - Sutton Hoo |
| The magnificent treasure |
| The excavations |
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The Excavations under the Visitor Centre
What was Sutton Hoo like, before the great ship burial? When the National Trust was given Sutton Hoo, they set about building a Visitor Centre. This meant that they had to carry out excavations under the Visitor Centre - presuming there would be nothing there. To their surprise, the excavations revealed a second, smaller and hitherto unknown Saxon cemetery
Excavations in progress
Excavations in progress under the proposed new Visitor Centre.
The most important grave was that of a warrior. He was buried covered by his shield, and these fierce images decorated his shield. The top image possibly represents a sea creature with his jaws to the right, the bottom one perhaps a bird of prey with a snake in his claws.
There were not only burials (inhumations) in the cemetery, but also cremations. One of the cremations was in the splendid bronze hanging bowl, with 'Celtic' style decorations
In 1986, a local farmer, harrowing a field at Bromeswell, not far from the cemetery found three pieces of a shallow bronze bucket about the size of a casserole dish. There was an inscription around the top: "Use this in good health, Master Count, for many happy years". When the bowl was cleaned, they discovered a frieze of hunters, seen right. The bucket was probably made in a workshp in Antioch during the 6th century AD, and eventually made its way to the Anglo-Saxon world.
