In the burial chamber of the ship, archeologists discovered a treasure trove of artifacts, dating to around 625-637 A.D. The gold jewelry and other artifacts reveal a sophisticated, artistically-aware society. The shoulder-clasp and belt buckle below were part of the treasure discovered in the ship burial site.
The Sutton Hoo burial ship was uncovered by archaeologists during the summers of 1938 and 1939. There was little more than the iron rivets left of the actual ship which was originally 89 feet long and 14 feet wide at its widest point. Marks left in the earth allowed archaeologists to determine the ship's dimensions. Jewelry, coins, silver plates, weapons, armour, utensils, drinking-horns, etc. were among the objects collected at the site. .
It is believed that the ship was the grave of Raedwald, king of East Anglia until he died in 624 or 625. It is thought that the funeral ship was dragged approximately a third of a mile from the Deben river. It was then lowered into a trench and a wooden cabin was built. The body was decked in jewelry and other items were placed close at hand. Then the trench was filled and a mound was built over the ship. This idea of a burial mound is similar to what we saw at the end of Beowulf where we read: .
To the Anglo-Saxons, burial goods were considered practical items that could be used by the dead in the next life and the ship would be the transportation to that life. The grandness of the items demonstrated the status of the individual. While this is considered a pagan form of burial, it is interesting to note that some of the items found at the site also had Christian associations. .
While the Angles were Germanic in origin, other artifacts found with the warrior's personal possessions show that seventh-century England was by no means cut off from European trade. In addition to a variety of wood and horn drinking vessels, caldrons, and other containers of local provenance, there were sixteen silver artifacts of eastern Mediterranean origin.