Discovered in 1938 at the Sutton Hoo excavation site in England, the Sutton Hoo Helmet was recovered from the site of an Anglo-Saxon ship burial. Dating from the early 7th century, the helmet is believed to have belonged to King Raedwald, who died in 624 C.E. and is of great archeological importance. This reconstruction illustrates admirably the skill and decorative talent of the armourers of the period.
Key Features:
• Highly detailed
• Great collector piece
• Stand included
Specifications:
• Weight: 7lb 5oz
• Thickness at Guard: 18 gauge
History of Sutton Hoo
Sutton Hoo near Woodbridge, Suffolk, England, is the site of two Anglo-Saxon cemeteries of the 6th and early 7th centuries, one of which contained an undisturbed ship burial including a wealth of artifacts of outstanding art-historical and archaeological significance.
Sutton Hoo is of a primary importance to early medieval historians because it sheds light on a period of English history which is on the margin between myth, legend and historical documentation. Use of the site culminated at a time when the ruler (Raedwald) of East Anglia held senior power among the English, and played a dynamic (if ambiguous) part in the establishment of Christian rulership in England. It is central to understanding of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of East Anglia and of the period in a wider perspective.
The ship-burial, probably dating from the early 7th century and excavated in 1939, is one of the most magnificent archaeological finds in England for its size and completeness, the far-reaching connections, quality and beauty of its contents, and for the profound interest of the burial ritual.
Although it is the ship-burial which commands the widest attention from tourists, there is also rich historical meaning in the two separate cemeteries, their position in relation to the Deben estuary and the North Sea, and their relation to other sites in the immediate neighborhood.
