Summary: Raedwald… King of East Anglia… Bretwalda. When he is mentioned, if you had heard that name before this show, chances are you heard it in connection with Sutton Hoo, which is possibly his burial site. And Sutton Hoo is one of the most famous archaeological digs in Britain. Just the name conjures images of the great Anglo Saxon helmet, with its impressive faceplate and ornate decorations in bronze, iron and tin. But there’s much more to it than that. And today, we’re going to talk about some of what makes Sutton Hoo so special. Our story begins in the late 16th century when tomb raiders came across the mounds at Sutton Hoo and dug a shaft straight down into Mound 1. They were over ten feet down into the mound and only inches above the burial chamber, but for some reason it looks like they stopped and lit a fire. And at that point it’s assumed that the shaft collapsed and the ransacking of the mound ended, leaving the chamber in tact. These digs are often connected to Queen Elizabeth’s astrologer and alchemist, Dr. John Dee, who might have been given a commission to go find buried treasure in East Anglia. But the reality is that there’s no evidence for Dee actually conducting the digs, and all of this might have been a coincidence. But the point is… based on archaeological evidence, in the late 16th century, someone was digging around in Sutton Hoo. And not without reason. The River Deben, which is right next to Sutton Hoo, was probably part of the trading network during the early Anglo Saxon period, and settlements would have popped up all along it. While most would have been farming communities and the like, there were probably towns where the elite congregated as well, and some have argued that Rendlesham, Melton, Bromeswell, or Sutton Hoo may have functioned as political centers for the region. So looking for buried treasure in the area was a fairly reasonable conclusion for the 16th century robbers to make, despite it’s lack of fame or notoriety.
