Per. 4 Angelica Love, Anastasia Kapetanios, Allison Tjan, Sabrina Van Zuiden

 Sutton Hoo is a place located in the UK.  It was the site of several Anglo-Saxon burial mounds.  In 1939, the mounds were excavated, revealing many Anglo-Saxon treasures, including a burial ship.

 A ship burial or boat grave is a burial in which a ship or boat is used either as a container for the dead and grave goods, or as a part of the grave goods itself.  (Yes, the ship itself is buried- along with a LOT of treasure.)

 Yep! Some of the items found at Sutton Hoo include:  Armor  Weapons  Bowls, spoons  2 silver spoons found were engraved with the names “Saul” and “Paul”, likely referring to the biblical figure.  Purse, shoulder-clasps and a “great buckle”  Jewelry  Pottery  Gold coins The “Great Buckle”, found in the upper body area of the ship.

 Due to the artifacts and treasure found inside, it’s extremely likely that the burial ship of Sutton Hoo housed the body of a king.  Speculation leads scholars and historians to think it may be Rædwald, king of East Anglia, who died in 624/625 A.D.

 The burial mounds and their treasures date back to 7 th century A.D.  The mounds were not excavated until the late 1930’s. Although the wood of the ship did not survive 13 centuries, the surrounding sand preserved the shape of it- complete with iron rivets.

 In 1910, a mansion was built not far from the burial mounds.  In 1926, the mansion and land were purchased by a Colonel Frank Pretty.  In 1937, Pretty’s widow yielded to her mounting curiosity and organized the start of the excavation. A portrait of Edith Pretty

 Each number represents the site of a Sutton Hoo grave.  Site #1 is where the ship was found.  Each site had its own body and artifacts (treasure).

 Of course! The Sutton Hoo burial mounds are essentially a 1300 year old cemetery.  The bodies found were of presumably wealthy class folk as well as execution victims.  While some bodies were cremated, others were found as bones.  Some had evidence of violent deaths (such as decapitation). While this body’s flesh and bone had completely decayed, its shape has been preserved by the surroundin g sand. The stained areas were caused by the body’s flesh.

 Sutton Hoo has provided historians with vital insight to Anglo-Saxon culture.  The variety of artifacts found there evidence the establishment of long- range trade and a mix of Christianity and paganism.  Many artifacts found there give us a visual representation of some of the scenes detailed in Beowulf.

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