Sutton Hoo: The Ship Burial That Changed History

The stunning Sutton Hoo ship burial was unearthed #onthisday in 1939, one of the most significant archaeological discoveries ever made in the UK. Discovered in the east of England, the site was probably the burial of an Anglo-Saxon king and contained fantastically crafted metalwork and jewellery. The iconic helmet is particularly intriguing. Aside from being elaborately decorated, there are hidden motifs that might not be obvious at first. A bird or dragon is created, flying upwards, by the cent

Check out this beautiful reconstruction of the Anglo-Saxon Sutton Hoo helmet (Art by Pedro Mendes). The original Sutton Hoo helmet was found during a 1939 excavation of the Sutton Hoo ship-burial. The burial was the final resting place of someone who had died in the early seventh century, during the Anglo-Saxon period – a time before 'England' existed. People think that an Anglo-Saxon king may have been buried here, and a popular candidate is Raedwald, who ruled the kingdom of East Anglia in the

The Sutton Hoo helmet was discovered in an Anglo-Saxon ship burial in 1939. It’s one of only four complete helmets from this time found in England, and may have been worn by a king. The helmet was restored in the 1940s, but it wasn’t until 1968, nearly 30 years after the initial discovery, that research showed the restoration had been inaccurate. The 500 fragments had to be disassembled and put back into their correct positions, like an intricate and very fragile Anglo-Saxon jigsaw puzzle. The w