Sutton Hoo burials may have been British soldiers who fought in Byzantine army
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For years, it was believed that royals could have been buried at the famous site - but a leading academic has another theory. For decades, it was thought those interred at the Anglo-Saxon burial mounds of Sutton Hoo, Suffolk, were lavish Kings buried with their riches.
![[The site was unearthed in 1939 with a 27-metre oak ship discovered alongside Byzantium silverware and other treasures]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/08/09/GettyImages-2157061261.jpg)
But a leading Anglo-Saxon expert has now suggested it might have been the grave of British soldiers who fought for the Byzantine Empire in the 6th century AD. The site was unearthed in the late 1930s, including a 27-metre oak burial ship, alongside Byzantium silverware and luxurious textiles.
![[A leading expert has suggested the site - along with its treasures - belonged to Britons who fought for the Byzantium Empire]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/08/09/GettyImages-480460983.jpg)
“We always want these people to be kings,” medieval history professor Dr Helen Dittos, of the University of Oxford, told The Times. “But this is another example of how you might have received considerable honours in your burial, but it doesn’t mean that you’re royal,” she said.
“We should be willing to consider that these weren’t men dressed up as Roman soldiers,” Dr Gittos said. “They were Roman soldiers.”. In 575, the Byzantines were in desperate need of men as they fought against the Sasanian Empire of Persia - launching a recruitment drive throughout Europe. A group called the foederati was formed - including men from both sides of the Alps including Franks and Burgundians.
