What is Sutton Hoo?
Sutton Hoo is the site of two 6th- and early 7th-century cemeteries. One contained an undisturbed ship burial including a wealth of Anglo-Saxon artifacts of outstanding art-historical and archaeological significance, now held in the British Museum in London. Sutton Hoo is of a primary importance to early medieval historians because it sheds light on a period of English history that is on the margin between myth, legend and historical documentation.
You should begin by learning a bit about Sutton Hoo – not because the site has specific connections to Beowulf, but because the artifacts and customs revealed there are very similar to those that existed in the culture of Beowulf.
Sutton Hoo
http://www.britainexpress.com/History/sutton-hoo.htm 1. When was the ship burial at Sutton Hoo unearthed? 1939 2. Why would archaeologists assume that the burial was likely from a time period around 620 AD? There were coins found dating to around 620 AD. 3. What country does the armor appear to originate from? Sweden 4. In what other countries are ship burials common? Denmark 5. Who is speculated to have been buried at the site? What is notable about this king? Redwald, coverted to Christianity 6. How was the ship buried? A large trench was dug on the top of a hill and the ship was dragged from the river and hallowed out where the treasures and coffin was put. The ship was then covered back up. 7. How big was the ship? 90 feet long 14 feet wide 8. What conclusions can you draw about the engineering skills of the people who created this burial site? Based on how savage and primitive you may have thought these people were, how does Sutton Hoo change your estimation of their accomplishments? They had a complex understanding of engineering and it completely changed my perspective of their accomplishments
http://www.archaeology.co.uk/specials/the-timeline-of-britain/sutton-hoo.htm 1. Describe the