The world changed in 1938 when an ancient burial ship was accidentally discovered in East Anglia, on the east coast of England. Nothing told us more about the Anglo-Saxons of the Dark Ages than what was uncovered here. There was amazing treasure from all over the world, artwork, jewellery and artefacts that taught us more about life, death, warfare, beliefs and, more significantly, how we had everything wrong about the Early Medieval peoples. Far from being uneducated and unsophisticated, they were obviously artisans and tradesmen.
The site also includes seventeen burial mounds and it has taken three major excavations and research campaigns to attempt to uncover it all. The last ended in 1993 and the author was the director of the last campaign, which began in the 1980s, so there is nobody better to have written this book. It is the story of the initial find and how the artefacts have been interpreted. The ship-grave is such a special item it is thought that perhaps it was for a king, maybe King Raedwald of East Anglia, who died in the early sixth century. The famous helmet with the moustache was found in the ship, but alas, no body to prove it. Over the decades of excavation, archaeology itself has changed in Britain and that history is included here, too. This is a wonderful book with plenty of detail and explanation, illustrations, charts, black and white photographs a stunning full-colour plates. There is a Q&A section asking the questions all laymen want to ask. The book is well laid out and easy to read and includes lots of Medieval history and prehistory for the non-specialist to understand the finds. It is something I refer to regularly, despite newer books appearing on the market since this book's publication (although this book has been updated several times). Recommended for those who want to discover the Sutton Hoo story in some detail without being bogged down by the academia of archaeology. A fascinating read, a mystery, a thriller, a fantasy and a little bit romantic.
Published by The British Museum Press on 1 May 1998. Updated editions produced in 2007, 2009 and 2011.
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