Editing Sutton Hoo (section)

{{short description|Archaeological site in Suffolk, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2021}}
{{Infobox ancient site
| name = Sutton Hoo
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| image = File:Sutton Hoo burial site.jpg
| image_size = 250px
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| caption = The Sutton Hoo burial site
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| map_type = England
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| coordinates = {{Wikidatacoord|Q503256|type:landmark_region:GB|display=inline,title}}
| location = [[Woodbridge, Suffolk]], England
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| type = Two [[Early Middle Ages|early medieval]] cemeteries, one with [[ship burial]]
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| ownership = [[National Trust]]
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[[File:Anglo-Saxon Shoulder Clasp from Sutton Hoo Burial, 625-630 AD.jpg|thumb|Anglo-Saxon Shoulder Clasp from Sutton Hoo Burial, 625-630]]
[[File:Anglo-Saxon Sword Belt End Ornament from Sutton Hoo Burial, 625-630 AD.jpg|thumb|Anglo-Saxon Sword Belt End Ornament from Sutton Hoo Burial, 625-630]]
'''Sutton Hoo''' is the site of two [[Anglo-Saxon]] cemeteries dating from the 6th to 7th centuries near [[Woodbridge, Suffolk]], England. [[Archaeology|Archaeologists]] have been excavating the area since 1938, when an undisturbed [[ship burial]] containing a wealth of [[Anglo-Saxon]] artifacts was discovered. The site is important in establishing the history of the Anglo-Saxon [[kingdom of East Anglia]] as well as illuminating the Anglo-Saxons during a period which lacks historical documentation.

The site was first excavated by [[Basil Brown]], a self-taught archaeologist, under the auspices of the landowner [[Edith Pretty]], but when its importance became apparent, national scholars took over. The artefacts the archaeologists found in the burial chamber include: a suite of metalwork dress fittings in gold and gems, a ceremonial helmet, a shield and sword, a [[Anglo-Saxon lyre|lyre]], and silver plate from the [[Eastern Roman Empire]]. The ship burial has prompted comparisons with the world of ''[[Beowulf]]''. The [[Old English]] poem is partly set in [[Götaland]] in southern Sweden, which has archaeological parallels to some of the Sutton Hoo finds. Scholars believe [[Rædwald of East Anglia|Rædwald, king of the East Angles]], is the most likely person to have been buried in the ship.

During the 1960s and 1980s, the wider area was explored by archaeologists and other burials were revealed. Another burial ground is situated on a second hill-spur about {{cvt|500|m}} upstream of the first. It was discovered and partially explored in 2000, during preliminary work for the construction of a new tourist visitor centre. The tops of the mounds had been obliterated by agricultural activity. The cemeteries are located close to the [[River Deben]] [[estuary]] and other archaeological sites. They appear as a group of approximately 20 earthen [[Anglo-Saxon burial mounds|mounds]] that rise slightly above the horizon of the hill-spur when viewed from the opposite bank. The visitor centre contains original artefacts, replicas of finds and a reconstruction of the ship burial chamber. The site is in the care of the [[National Trust]]; most of these objects are now held by the [[British Museum]].