SUTTON HOO: RE-IMAGING THE SHIP AND CHAMBER

Abstract

The cemetery at Sutton Hoo in East Suffolk includes tumuli dating to the sixth–seventh centuries ad. The largest contained an intact ship-burial. The man commemorated is not identifiable, but is often presumed to be Rædwald, rex Anglorum c ad599–624/5. Excavation was curtailed by the outbreak of war in 1939. Despite subsequent re-excavation and lengthy research, questions remain. Information dispersed in the definitive publication is correlated and developed. Digital 3D imaging of the ship’s iron fastenings are used here to extrapolate curved lines of missing rivets and superimpose them on the burial chamber plan. A digital roof reconstruction is also presented. Mechanisms of collapse of the objects are deduced from their positioning and damage, revealing space for access to the chamber. A cross-section depicts the calculated height of the deck and known tilt of the ship. Residues of phosphate, Middle Eastern bitumen, tar and tape cumulatively suggest embalming practices. A temporary coffin and a bed on which possessions were placed are proposed. The most valuable object relinquished is deduced to be the ship. Fragments of a possible anchor are identified. The suggested identification of the iron stand as a raised light would allow supporting ships to follow.