Sutton Hoo is a hill at Sutton, in Suffolk, England, on the east bank of the River Deben, opposite the town of Woodbridge. On this site are 11 barrows (burial mounds). In 1939, an excavation of one of these barrows revealed traces of a large wooden boat containing a wealth of grave goods. These finds included an iron standard; a ceremonial whetstone; a sword, sword belt, and purse decorated with gold and garnets; a decorated shield and helmet; weapons; coins; bronze and silver bowls; drinking horns; and many other objects. The coins suggest a date for the burial between A.D. 650 and 670. No body was found, but the burial is thought to be a cenotaph for a royal person, possibly for the East Anglian King Ethelhere, also spelled Aethelhere.
The Sutton Hoo ship burial contained the richest treasure ever unearthed in Britain and was one of the most important finds in Anglo-Saxon archaeology. Many of the relics of the Sutton Hoo ship burial are exhibited in the British Museum, in London.
