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Estate in Suffolk, England, the site of the grave or cenotaph of
an Anglo-Saxon king. One of the richest Germanic burials ever
found in Europe (1939), the Sutton Hoo site contained an 80-ft
(24-m) wooden ship equipped for the afterlife (but with no
body). It displayed both pagan and Christian features. The
burial's grave goods demonstrate a high level of craftsmanship
and included solid gold and silver objects, such as cups and
bowls, and weapons, including a bejeweled sword. There were also
coins from the Continent and a dish bearing the stamp of the
Byzantine emperor Anastasius I, which reveal broader contacts
for the people of England at the time than had been previously
recognized. The burial may have been for Raedwald (d. 624?) or
Aethelhere (d. 654). Parallels to Swedish finds suggest a
possible Swedish origin for the East Anglian royal dynasty. This
entry comes from Encyclopædia Britannica Concise. For the full
entry on Sutton Hoo, visit B