An exploration of some of the artistic and technical wonders found aboard the funeral-ship berthed beneath Mound One at Sutton Hoo in Suffolk, burial-place of the Wuffing dynasty of the early Anglo-Saxon kingdom of East Anglia. Outstanding among the many rich finds is the superb jewellery of gold, garnet, and blue glass, which reveals such a brilliant synthesis of cross-cultural skills. These masterworks appear to have been made in the East Anglian royal workshop, probably at nearby Rendlesham, just up the River Deben from Sutton Hoo, under the patronage of the king who lay in state in this treasure-laden long-ship. On the present evidence, this is thought most likely to have been Rædwald, who died around the year 625. These and related early Anglo-Saxon treasures, such as the Staffordshire Hoard, and other excavated royal burials, like those from Taplow and Prittlewell, show that, far from being the “Dark Ages”, this was truly a Golden Age.
In this golden light we shall embark on a course charting anew what we can of the largely forgotten history of early England. King Rædwald emerges as a figure of special interest, for it appears that he became the first overlord of all England after his victory at the Battle of the River Idle in 616 or 617. Furthermore, as this was the first battle-test for a baptised king, the implication arises that he did more to ensure the success of the establishment of Christianity among the English-speaking peoples than the sources acknowledge.
Our illustrated course will be amplified with readings from original Old English sources. Copies of maps and genealogies will be provided.
Learning outcomes
- Acquire an appreciation of the art and culture of early Anglo-Saxon England revealed by the archaeology of Sutton Hoo and related sites;
- Become acquainted with some of the major archaeological discoveries and surviving written sources for the period whilst acquiring some awareness of the lost continent of forgotten history;
- Develop an understanding of the usefulness of the comparative, multidisciplinary approach to the study of history.
