26 November 2023 , 11:27
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A private farmland near Sutton Hoo in Suffolk may have been the site of a temple some 1,400 years ago.
Suffolk County Council's community archaeology project Rendlesham Revealed has discovered a "possible temple" thought to have been overseen by King Raedwald of East Anglia, who died in AD 625. Funded by a grant of £517,300 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the dig was a whole-community effort that involved more than 200 volunteers from a range of groups including Suffolk Family Carers, Suffolk Mind, and local primary school children.
Consultant archaeologist and project advisor Professor Christopher Scull from the University of Cardiff described the find as "remarkable". He said: "The results of excavations at Rendlesham speak vividly of the power and wealth of the East Anglian kings, and the sophistication of the society they ruled.
More than 200 local volunteers, young and old, participated in the excavation (PA)"The possible temple, or cult house, provides rare and remarkable evidence for the practice at a royal site of the pre-Christian beliefs that underpinned English society.Its distinctive and substantial foundations indicate that one of the buildings, 10 metres long and five metres wide, was unusually high and robustly built for its size, so perhaps it was constructed for a special purpose.
"It is most similar to buildings elsewhere in England that are seen as temples or cult houses, therefore it may have been used for pre-Christian worship by the early Kings of the East Angles."
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The Suffolk County Council Archaeology Service has been coordinating archaeological survey and excavation in Rendlesham since 2008. A community dig last summer confirmed the spot as a settlement of the East Anglian kings after the remains of a large timber royal hall measuring 23m by 10m were unearthed, alongside treasures including dress jewellery, fragments of glass drinking vessels, and pottery.
A "king's village" at "Rendlaesham" was mentioned by the Venerable Bede, an English monk and scholar, in his 8th Century book An Ecclesiastical History of the English People. He spoke of a temple furnished with altars to pre-Christian gods alongside an altar to Jesus Christ, though did not specify Rendlesham as its location.
Conservative councillor Melanie Vigo di Gallidoro, Suffolk County Council's Deputy Cabinet Member for Protected Landscapes and Archaeology, said: "This year's findings round off three seasons of fieldwork which confirm the international significance of Rendlesham's archaeology and its fundamental importance for our knowledge of early England.
"Everyone involved in this project can take pride that together we have achieved something remarkable.
"Over 200 volunteers from the local community were involved this year, bringing the total number of volunteers to over 600 for the three-year fieldwork programme".