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Gold belt buckle from the ship-burial at Sutton Hoo
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Anglo-Saxon, early 7th century AD
From Mound 1, Sutton Hoo, Suffolk, England
Like most Anglo-Saxon men, the king who was buried at Sutton Hoo wore a waist belt. These were fastened with buckles whose metal and decoration reflected the wealth and status of their owner. From the belt usually hung a knife, and occasionally a leather pouch to hold personal possessions.
This magnificent buckle was made of gold and weighs 412.7 grams. It is hollow and made in two parts joined by a hinge placed on the back beneath the loop. The master-craftsman who made it devised a locking system involving a complex system of sliders and internal rods which fit into slotted fixings. These fill the interior leaving little space for the safe storage of a relic, a function which has been suggested for such hollow, high-status buckles (see the buckle from Crundale, also in The British Museum).
Their bodies are highlighted with punched ornament filled with black niello.
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