One of my Yr 8 students is reading a modern version of a very old poem called Beowulf. It was written around 1600 years ago and is about this heroic guy called Beowulf who fights monsters and saves people. He's kind of like Batman, but with fewer gadgets. And he's Swedish. Anyway...
There's an archeological site called Sutton Hoo in the UK which is the burial site of an Anglo-Saxon lord. It's of particular relevance to Beowulf because... well, I won't spoil the ending. But suffice it to say that someone gets buried, and in a very similar way to the burial at Sutton Hoo.
The artwork uncovered at Sutton Hoo is amazing, and the whole place tells us a lot about how the Anglo-Saxons regarded death. Their society was based around ideas of honour and the importance of kingship and religion, and all of that comes to life at Sutton Hoo. Worth exploring if you're ever in the area...
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