The Archaeology of Britain: An introduction from ... - waughfamily.ca

Early historic Britain
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Figure 10.4 Anglo-Saxon grave from Kent.
Source: Canterbury Archaeological Trust
coins, and probably for the burial,
early in the seventh century. This
would be too early for the most
popular contender for occupancy
of mound I, King Redwald of East
Anglia, known to us from Bede as
a lapsed Christian king who died in
the 620s. Perhaps one of the other
mounds did contain Redwald, but
mound I is more likely to have been
the grave of a predecessor. Another
grave, excavated in 1991, contained
a young man buried in a coffin with
weapons, bronze and wooden
vessels, and horse harness. In a
grave beside him lay his horse. The
status of others buried at Sutton
Hoo was less exalted. A series of
graves was found in the recent
excavation campaign that
contained the remains of
Figure 10.5 Sutton Hoo from the air.
Source: C.Hoppit
individuals who seemed to have been executed. Some of these were contemporary with the
rich burials, others probably belong to a later Saxon use of the site as a place of execution.