Sutton Hoo

Sutton Hoo is an Anglo-Saxon burial ground, located near near Woodbridge, in Suffolk.

It is the site of two early medieval cemeteries dating from the 6th and 7th century archaeologists have been excavating the area since 1938. One contained an undisturbed ship burial with a wealth of Anglo-Saxon artefacts. Many of these objects are now held by the British Museum. It is thought that it was Rædwald of East Anglia, as the most likely person to have been buried in the ship.

Sutton Hoo was first excavated by Basil Brown under the auspices of the landowner Edith Pretty, but when its significance became apparent, national experts took over. During the 1960s and 1980s, the wider area was explored by archaeologists and many other individual burials were revealed. The artefacts found in the burial chamber include a suite of metalwork dress fittings in gold and gems, a ceremonial helmet, a shield and sword, a lyre, and silver plate from the Byzantine Empire.

The cemeteries are located close to the River Deben estuary and other archaeological sites. They appear as a group of approximately 20 earthen mounds that rise slightly above the horizon of the hill-spur when viewed from the opposite bank. The second burial ground is situated on a second hill-spur about 500 metres upstream of the first. It was discovered and partially explored in 2000 during preliminary work for the construction of an Exhibition Hall for tourists. This site also has burials, but the tops of their mounds had been obliterated by later agricultural activity.

The nearby visitor centre contains original artefacts, replicas of finds and a reconstruction of the ship burial chamber and is in the care of the National Trust.