Sword from the Anglo-Saxon Sutton Hoo ship-burial, dates to approximately AD 620. Suffolk, England.

Just as an introduction, the Sutton Hoo ship burial find occurred in the 1950s (I think), purportedly the grave of an early seventh-century Anglo-Saxon king; some scholars believe he was Raedwald of the East Angles, who had the status of bretwalda (high king, if the office ever really existed) toward the end of his reign. From an archeological perspective, the find was a veritable treasure-trove. At the time of our visit to the British Museum, the permanent exhibit of Anglo-Saxon artifacts was undergoing renovation, but many of the more important pieces were still on display. The following is a small sample of the collection.

This sword is one of the many artifacts discovered in the Sutton Hoo ship-burial, which is thought to have belonged to one of four East Anglian kings: Eorpwald, Raedwald and co-regents Ecric, and Sigebert. The artifacts of this burial were chosen to reflect the high rank of the king, and to equip him for the Afterlife