Activity 3
What are the secrets beneath the mounds?
The early Anglo Saxons did not leave written accounts for us to study but the objects they placed in graves give us some idea of their world and their lifestyle. Men were buried with spears and shields, highlighting the central role of warriors in Anglo Saxon society. The most important were honoured with lavish burials containing gold, silver and gem-set artefacts. Women were often buried with domestic objects, revealing their importance in the home.
Click on the mound numbers at Sutton Hoo to reveal their secrets. We know that the mounds were created for the people of the East Anglian society, and so far, with only one exception, all were men. Two teenagers and a child were buried near Mound 2 and the last mound was that of a woman, perhaps a queen. Only a few decades after the final mound was raised, execution victims were buried here.
| # | MOUNDS | EXCAVATION EVIDENCE |
| 1 | Great ship |
Burial chamber found inside the ship. Excavated 1939, 1965-1970 |
| 2 | Ship burial |
Burial chamber underneath the ship. Robbed 1600 and 1860. Excavated 1938 and 1988. |
| 3 | Cremation |
Robbed. Excavated 1938. |
| 4 | Cremation |
Cremation burial in bronze bowl. Robbed. Excavated 1938. |
| 5 | Cremation |
Probably the first mound, possibly the founder of the Wuffing dynasty. Robbed. Excavated 1970, 1988. |
| 6 | Cremation |
Cremation burial in bronze bowl – Robbed. Excavated 1989. |
| 7 | Cremation |
Cremation burial in bronze bowl – Robbed. Excavated 1989. |
| 8 | Mound |
Unexcavated - probably robbed |
| 9 | Mound |
Unexcavated - probably robbed |
| 10 | Mound |
Unexcavated - probably robbed |
| 11 | Mound |
Unexcavated - probably robbed |
| 12 | Mound |
Unexcavated - probably robbed |
| 13 | Mound |
Unexcavated - probably robbed |
| 14 | Woman’s mound |
Only known female grave, possibly a queen. Robbed. Excavated 1991. |
| 15 | Mound |
Unexcavated - probably robbed |
| 16 | Burial mound |
This is now in doubt |
| 17 | Horseman’s mound |
Unsuccessfully robbed. Excavated 1991 |
| 18 | Cremation |
Cremated burial in bronze bowl – Robbed. Excavated 1989. |
| 19 | Execution graves |
39 victims of execution were buried in two groups between the C8th to the C12th – one around |
| 20 | Medieval field boundary |
Ran alongside the edge of the terrace. |
| 21 | Anti-glider ditches |
Second World War anti-glider ditches were laid out in a grid across the landscape. |
Your Task
Answer the questions below on screen or in this Word Doc version to save your answers.
Research Activity
Research to find out about the Wuffing dynasty. Visit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wuffingas to get started.
