Make your own Anglo-Saxon Ship Burial

Did you know the Anglo-Saxons’ sometimes buried their dead in ships?

Sometimes these ships were sent out to sea, but in 1938 a whole Anglo-Saxon ship was found buried in the ground at Sutton Hoo in Suffolk. 1,400 years ago, a king or great warrior of East Anglia was laid to rest in this ship, surrounded by his extraordinary treasures. Ship burials are very rare and the discovery revolutionised our understanding of the Anglo-Saxon period.

The burial chamber at the centre of the ship was filled with gold and silver, jewellery and weapons. One of the most famous artefacts excavated from the ship was the Sutton Hoo helmet which you can make your own version of here.

You can make your own model of a ship burial and fill the burial chamber with the things that are important to you. You could even bury it in your garden and see how long it takes to decompose.

What would you take into the afterlife with you?

Laura Peck

Adult supervision is not required for this activity.

Type of Activity : Crafting

How many people required (minimum) : 1

Safety Measures : Please ask an adult to help you with using scissors and craft knife.

Ages : 8+

Time Required: 1-2 hours

Step 1

Lay out all the materials you'll need to make your ship.

Step 2

Pick out a smaller box to use as the burial chamber within the ship.

Step 3

Cut the sides off the box keeping the triangular sections attached to the long central section.

Step 4

Cut the larger rectangular box into 2 strips. These will act as the sides of your boat so you want to make sure they meet at either end but are long enough to create a gap in the middle. This the two sections together at the front and back of your boat. You can use clothes pegs to hold them together and it's also useful to add a smaller piece of cardboard to strengthen the connection.

Step 5

Use a smaller piece of cardboard to connect the two sides of the boat together. This piece will act as the bottom of the burial chamber so make sure it is wider enough to fit the piece cut off the smaller box in step 3.

Step 6

Use the triangular sections to create the bottom, front and back of the burial chamber and add a roof. Don't stick the roof down as you can add in your artefacts later on.

Step 7

Use any remaining cardboard you have to fill in the gaps and make your boat stronger.

Step 8

The basic form of your ship burial is complete. You can cover the cardboard or paint it however you like.