The kingdom of East Anglia
By the 7th Century, smaller Anglo-Saxon kin units had merged (often by force) to create seven kingdoms, including East Anglia. Home to Sutton Hoo, East Anglia derived its name from the Angles - the Germanic peoples who originally migrated to the eastern part of England.
A Royal Burial Ground
The River Deben provided easy passage to and from the North Sea and it’s likely that early ancestors of the kings of East Anglia took this route into the area in the mid-5th Century.
In later years, it is believed that the East Anglian royal family, the Wuffings, took a great interest in the River Deben and its surroundings. One of their royal settlements is thought to have been at Rendlesham and, further downstream, Sutton Hoo was chosen as the place the Anglo-Saxons would bury their royal dead.
Uncovering Anglo-Saxon society
During the 7th Century ship burial at Sutton Hoo, the large vessel would have been hauled and pushed from the river below by warriors. No one knows quite how such a feat was accomplished, but what followed would have been spectacular ceremonies, talked about for many generations to come.
Dignitaries from other areas will have travelled from far and wide to witness the burial of these high profile individuals. The mounds will have been clearly visible from the river, the highway of its day, making a statement to all who sailed here that there was a power in the land.