Editing Sutton Hoo (section)

==== The burial ====

Although practically none of the original timber survived, the form of the ship was perfectly preserved.<ref>A.C. Evans and R. Bruce-Mitford in Bruce-Mitford 1975, 345–435; Evans 1986, 23–29. For its context in symbolism, see Crumlin-Pederson 1995.</ref> Stains in the sand had replaced the wood but had preserved many construction details. Nearly all of the iron planking rivets were in their original places. It was possible to survey the original ship, which was found to be {{convert|27|m}} long, pointed at either end with tall rising [[sternpost|stem and stern posts]] and widening to {{convert|4.4|m}} in the beam amidships with an inboard depth of {{convert|1.5|m}} over the [[keel]] line.

From the keel board, the [[Hull (watercraft)|hull]] was constructed [[Clinker (boat building)|clinker-fashion]] with nine planks on either side, fastened with rivets. Twenty-six wooden [[Rib (nautical)|ribs]] strengthened the form. Repairs were visible: this had been a seagoing vessel of excellent craftsmanship, but there was no descending keel. The decking, benches and mast were removed. In the fore and [[aft]] sections along the [[gunwales]], there were oar-rests shaped like the Old English [[Thorn (letter)|letter "thorn"]], indicating that there may have been positions for forty oarsmen. The [[central chamber]] had timber walls at either end and a roof, which was probably pitched.

The heavy [[oak]] vessel had been hauled from the river up the hill and lowered into a prepared trench, so only the tops of the stem and stern posts rose above the land surface.{{sfnm|Bruce-Mitford|1975|1pp=176–180|Evans|1986|2pp=32–40}} After the addition of the body and the artefacts, an oval mound was constructed, which covered the ship and rose above the horizon at the riverward side of the cemetery.{{sfn|Bruce-Mitford|1975|pp=144–156}} The view to the river is now obscured by Top Hat Wood, but the mound would have been a visible symbol of power to those using the waterway. This appears to have been the final occasion upon which the Sutton Hoo cemetery was used for its original purpose.<ref>Carver, ''Sutton Hoo'', pp. 132–135. Several mounds remain unexcavated, see p. 179.</ref>

Long afterwards, the roof collapsed violently under the weight of the mound, compressing the ship's contents into a seam of earth.{{sfn|Bruce-Mitford|1975|pp=488–577}}

Using the imprint of the longship in the sand around its location, archaeologist Angela Care Evans made plans to create a full size replica. Work began in 2021, using oak planks and iron rivets, with help from a charity, the Sutton Hoo Ship's Company. The estimated date of completion was 2024 and the ship was expected to be functional. Shipwright, Tim Kirk, made this comment to [[ITV News]]: "it is really just a big experimental archaeology programme, [but] we're hoping to learn how the ship actually sailed". The plans called for training a crew of at least 80 rowers.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2021-11-10/first-finished-pieces-of-replica-ship-pieced-together-at-sutton-hoo |title=Piecing a piece of history together: replica of Sutton Hoo ship takes shape |date=10 November 2021 |work=ITV plc |access-date=2 March 2023 |quote="We can do computer simulations of this, but to actually find out there's only one way to do it and that's to build it and put it in the water and row it and then perhaps sail it." |archive-date=2 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230302143101/https://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2021-11-10/first-finished-pieces-of-replica-ship-pieced-together-at-sutton-hoo |url-status=live }}</ref>