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| Burial chamber of the Sutton Hoo ship-burial 1, England. Reconstruction |
Sutton Hoo is one of England’s most significant archaeological sites. The 30-metre long ship was found buried undisturbed under one of many mysterious mounds at the site. It was found to contain a burial chamber housing a rich collection of finds.
As well as the purse lid the finds included helmets, spears, a sword, lyre and drinking horns. A set of shoulder clasps match the workmanship of the purse lid and were probably made by the same craftsman.
Although no body was found it is likely to be the burial site of King Raedwald, who ruled from around 599-624 AD and is credited as being one of the first English leaders to be converted to Christianity.
The finds changed the way historians thought about Anglo-Saxon society and showed it to be more advanced than previously thought.
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| A collection of rare 7th century gold Merovingian coin issues from the Sutton Hoo king's purse, most examples in this collection were produced at different Frankish mints. |