Sutton Hoo is a major Anglo-Saxon (pre-Viking) ship burial, widely thought to be the burial site of Raedwald, a 7th century king who, according to Bede, united much of England. (A hoo is a high point; also a Seuss character). Although the area was known to be a pre-Christian burial site, the nature and dimensions of Sutton Hoo, along with its treasury, were not discovered until 1939. The excavation was ordered by the landowner, Mrs. Pretty (wife of Col. Pretty)(ISIANMTU), and done primarily by an amateur but fairly accomplished archaeologist. Alas, we were not overwhelmed by the museum, although the walking tour was excellent. Maybe we've seen enough ship burials now. But the Anglo- angle was interesting. The Roman army left Britain in 410, and the void they left was filled in by the Anglo-Saxons (today's Denmark, Holland, north Germany), before the Vikings proper, and well before the Normans.
Mrs. Pretty's house and mound #2
The mounds as they look now
The ship stretched from one stake to the other, large enough for forty men
The river Deben, which the mounds overlook
Museum exhibit of a burial site
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