The Sutton Hoo Ship Burial [Paperback]

Angela Care Evans (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1995

The summer of 1939 saw one of the most exciting archaeological finds ever dug from British soil, an undisturbed Anglo-Saxon ship burial at Sutton Hoo, near Woodbridge in Suffolk. The ship, nearly 30m long, had been dragged uphill from the estuary of the River Deben to a royal gravefield and buried beneath a large circular mound. Amidships, in a textile-hung chamber, a sumptous burial was laid out unique in its glittering wealth of jewellery and unrivalled in the variety of objects that had been selected to represent every facet of the dead man's life. Gold and garnet jewellery, silver from the eastern Mediterranean, drinking vessels with silver gilt fittings, a magnificent helmet and parade shield, a lyre and sceptre were amongst the spectacular finds excavated in two hectic weeks just before the outbreak of World War II. Although no remains of a body survived and no personal possessions were found, the gold and garnet regalia alone implied that the burial was that of a king. But his identity remained elusive until research resulted in a date of 625/30 for the latest of a collection of small gold coins found in the ship, suggest that it may have been the grave of Raedwald, king of East Anglia, who died in 624/5. In this new edition of the survey first published in 1986, the excavation of the ship and its contents are described and illustrated and the results of many years' research at the British Museum are summarised. It also brings the story right up-to-date and includes illustrations of the most recent excavations.

Product Details

• Paperback: 127 pages
• Publisher: British Museum Pubns Ltd; Revised edition (August 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0714105759
• ISBN-13: 978-0714105758
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 7.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,036,584 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent description of an archaeological investigation, September 28, 1999

By 

Nancy A. Fox (West Covina, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Sutton Hoo Ship Burial (Paperback)

This is an excellent book that describes the investigation into one of the most famous sites in English archaeology. The Sutton Hoo ship burial is Englands' King Tut. The book goes into great detail about the original and subsequent investigations of the burial area in eastern England.

If you are a casual reader interested in a quick read about archaeological investigations, this book may not be for you. The book goes into great detail about the construction of the site, the artifacts and how they were put back together in the laboratory. If you are interested in such things, you will be richly rewarded by this book.

I would especially recommend reading this book before you visit the British Museum in London, where the rich artifacts from this site are housed. That way you will have an even greater appreciation for this site and the artifacts on display.