Aspects of Anglo-Saxon archaeology: Sutton Hoo and other discoveries

In 1939 a discovery was made which has been described as "the greatest single find in the archaeological annals of England" and later as "one of the most generous single benefactions ever made to the British Museum by a single donor in his or her lifetime". This momentous find was the Sutton Hoo ship-burial, on the banks of the River Deben near Woodbridge, in Suffolk. A 90-feet-long ship had been buried in the sand, a rich funeral treasure laid out amidships and a barrow raised over it. The burial was that of a 7th century Anglo-Saxon King. The items then discovered which are exhibitable can be seen in the British Museum. They include a rich gold and jewelled harness, a sceptre, a splendid shield, gold coins and a sumptuous purse, buckets, cauldrons, ornamental iron chain work, shoes and combs, drinking horns, bottles, a lyre of maple wood and late Roman or Byzantine silver. The work on the material, and its curatorship, have been under the direction of Dr Rupert Bruce-Mitford, who has written extensively about the burial and its background and interpretation. The discovery impinges on innumerable aspects of early European life and history. In this volume, Dr Bruce-Mitford has collected a number of his writings from the last twenty year. All have been revised and updated and all are profusely illustrated.