SUTTON HOO, ENGLAND—The world-famous site of Sutton Hoo continues to reveal it secrets, according to a BBC News report. The Anglo-Saxon burial ground and its magnificent ship burial were first uncovered in the 1930s, but excavations at the site have continued at various times over the past several decades. During the 1980s, pieces of a magnificent copper-alloy bucket, known as the Bromeswell bucket, were recovered. The sixth-century Byzantine vessel is decorated with a hunting scene and bears a Greek inscription, but experts often wondered what exactly the purpose and function of the delicate treasure was. “We knew that this bucket would have been a rare and prized possession back in Anglo-Saxon times, but it's always been a mystery why it was buried,” said archaeologist Angus Wainwright. Archaeologists recently able to retrieve the missing bottom portion of the bucket, which finally helped solve the puzzle. The intact base still contained partial human and animal remains. The report states that horses were sometimes included in Anglo-Saxon funerary pyres. This indicates that the Bromeswell bucket was likely used as a cremation urn, probably for a very important person who lived within the community. To read about analysis of bitumen that was recovered from the Sutton Hoo ship burial, go to "Something New for Sutton Hoo."
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