(CNN)When the Anglo-Saxon warrior king died 1400 years ago in East Anglia, England, he Surrounded by ships and treasures inside. A 90-foot-long wooden boat, dragged 0.5 miles (0.8 kilometers) from the Deven River, was buried in the mound.
Archaeologists who unearthed the mound in 1939 recovered weapons, warrior helmets, intricately designed treasures made of precious metals and gems, and rows of iron rivets.
Edith Pretty, the owner of Suffolk's assets, including the mound, donated the treasure to the British Museum in London. The burial may belong to Rædwald of East Anglia, who died in 624 AD.
If you've seen "the vestiges of time" on Netflix, the story of Sutton Hoo's site and its 7th-century royal cemetery is familiar. It is one of only three known Anglo-Saxon ship burials.
Has fascinated many, but no longer exists. Trees have rotted in acidic soil, but the exact position of the board left an impression on the sand, like the ghost of a ship. Similar to the contours.
Two photographers, Mercy Luck and Barbara Wagstaff, "fossilized" the ship in 1939, before the mound was re-covered as World War II approached. I took an image of the traces of.
Currently, Martin Kerber, an emeritus professor of archeology at the University of York, and Sutton Hooship's charity have a monumental mission to revive the ship and pad the crew across the rivers of England. I am undertaking. once again.
Raising a ghost ship
In the town of Woodbridge near Sutton Hoo, there has long been a dream of making a full-scale replica of a famous ship. did. Of the hundreds of discoveries from the burial, almost all of which were originally found in pieces, Carver said, only the ship has not been reconstructed.
After the charity of the ship company was formed in 2016, the team began designing the plan.
Carver, who directed the archaeological excavation in Sutton Hoo from 1983 to 1992, oversees the ongoing construction and raises funds for the project. The team wants to build a ship, row across rivers and estuaries, and raise £ 1.5 million to give the ship a permanent home.
There are 70 volunteers in the reconstruction project, and the oldest volunteer has recently turned 90. Their job is to rebuild the ship as accurately as possible using the Anglo-Saxon's own techniques, such as using an ax to shape the wood. East Anglia oak trees are used to build the ship.
The company plans to launch the vessel on the water in the spring of 2024 and begin rowing tests. A team of 40 rowers will learn how to train and handle 16.4 feet (5 meters) long. ) Wooden oar.
The original ship served the purpose of the ritual for the burial of the king, but there is evidence that the ship was repaired and lived on the water before the burial, Carver said. ..
Between 2024 and 2029, the ship will make three voyages to the place where the earliest British kingdom was formed.
"We want to be in the limelight on the river, the highway of the day," Mr. Carver said. "The voyage passes through many great early settlements discovered by archaeologists in the last few decades."
Anglo-Saxon ships alike warriors, kings and cargo It was used to transport to and was elegantly decorated and painted.
"We want to excite people in different ways when a ship travels, especially by making us feel the glorious times of the 7th century Britain," Carver said. I am. ..
By 2030, the ship will have completed its voyage and will be on display. Probably across the river from the Woodbridge at the Sutton Hoo Visitor Center.
Going back in time
Working on a ship is itself experimental archeology, Haworth said. She has been working at Sutton Hoo since 2014 and holds a Master's degree in Medieval Studies specializing in 7th century Anglo-Saxons.
When a visitor arrives at Sutton Hoo, a sculpture showing the size of the ship welcomes them. Ghost ship plots continue to attract people. Therefore, Howarth believes that concrete reproductions can lead them to the adventurous spirit of their ancestors and the symbolism of the ship.
"It's all sorts of links to the journey, both in life and death, and that the ship is that kind of metaphor," Haworth said.
Research continues at Sutton Hoo, leaving many intriguing questions. There are no records of the time, but the remaining Anglo-Saxon relics and graveyards are beginning to harmonize like puzzles, revealing connections between communities.
The similarities between the design and craftsmanship of the objects in the two collections suggest that they were created in the same 7th century East Anglia workshop.
She is still in the pyramid of tiny gold and garnet cloisonne swords, a decorative accessory associated with the scabbard, discovered in the burial chamber of a ship by archaeologist Peggy Piggott in 1939. I am amazed. With such a complex design, focus them on these little glittering treasures. "Haworth said. "It's probably one of the things you'll want to go back and see if you can jump into the time machine."
