Gold Belt Buckle From The Ship Burial At Sutton Hoo Meaning

Sutton hoo ship burial sutton hoo ship burial video the sutton hoo purse lid.

Gold belt buckle from the ship burial at sutton hoo meaning. One cemetery had an undisturbed ship burial with a wealth of anglo saxon artefacts of art historical and archaeological significance. Most of these objects are now held by the british museum in london. This magnificent buckle found in the ship burial was made of gold and weighs 412 7 grams. Three large plain hemispherical bosses connect with sliding catches on the back plate which opens on a hinge.

The intricate decoration comprises a web of 13 snakes predatory birds and long limbed beasts. This gold belt buckle from sutton hoo is one of the greatest achievements of anglo saxon metalwork. The type of metal used and the fineness of decoration were key factors. Belt buckles go back at least to the iron age and a gold great buckle was among the items interred at sutton hoo.

The suttton hoo buckle is a superlative example of of this type of animal ornament which was popular with many germanic people at that time. Made using over 400 grams of gold its intricate decoration shows 13 intertwining creatures inlaid with niello a black metal alloy. Archaeologists have been excavating the area since the 1930s. This type of animal ornament was popular with many germanic speaking peoples at the time.

Belt buckle sutton hoo early 7th century gold. British museum london united kingdom. Constructed from several separate pieces its body forms a hinged box with an ingenious triple lock mechanism. Shoulder clasps from the ship burial at sutton hoo 550 650.

There was a purse among the burial goods which contained 37 gold coins 3 coin shaped blanks and 2 small gold ingots. In early anglo saxon england buckles used to fasten waist belts were a means of expressing a man s wealth and status. This gold belt buckle is a masterpiece of early medieval craftsmanship made using over 400g of gold with an intricate decoration of intertwining creatures inlaid with niello a black metal alloy. The presence of the coin shaped blanks suggests that the number of coins was deliberately.

Gold belt buckle the metal and decoration on saxon s buckle reflected the wealth and status of their owner. Their weight and the rows of loops on the back suggest that they were attached to a thick. These curved gold shoulder clasps are feats of astonishing craftsmanship. Each one is made in two halves which are hinged and fastened by a strong pin.

From the sutton hoo ship burial mound 1 england uk. Sutton hoo at sutton near woodbridge in suffolk england is the site of two early medieval cemeteries from the 6th to 7th centuries. Gold belt buckle hollow with cast ornament.