A nationally significant Anglo-Saxon burial ground has been discovered during Sizewell C excavations – and is set to feature on BBC’s Digging for Britain this week.
During excavations, archeologists from Oxford Cotswold Archeology (OCA) unearthed a high-status grave containing two individuals buried alongside a fully harnessed horse, weapons and personal items.
The trove potentially dates back to the 6th century, and the complex burial traditions suggest the two were elite members of Anglo-Saxon society.
The details of the discovery will feature in Wednesday’s edition of Digging for Britain, on BBC Two at 9pm.
Len Middleton, OCA’s Project Officer leading the site, said: “Excavating a section of the Sizewell Link Road has been an exciting experience for me and the team.
“The site is an early Anglo-Saxon barrow cemetery dating from the 6th to 7th centuries, with both inhumation and cremation burials, many furnished with weapons, jewellery and vessels.
“Soil conditions have resulted in little preservation – we are instead left with striking sand silhouettes that capture the outlines of the bodies in remarkable detail.
“One barrow, containing a horse and two individuals buried with weapons and personal items, stands out as a ‘princely’ burial – part of the same elite tradition seen at Sutton Hoo, Snape and Prittlewell.
“Discoveries like this are of national importance because they deepen our understanding of power, belief, and identity in early medieval England, and how those ideas were expressed along the East Anglian coast.”
Working on behalf of Sizewell C, archaeologists identified at least 11 burial mounds, known as barrows, along with cremation and inhumation burials.
All had been carefully arranged across a prominent point in the landscape near Theberton in Suffolk.
Nigel Cann, Chief Executive Officer, Sizewell C, said: “The Anglo-Saxon burial ground uncovered during preparatory works for our 6.5km Sizewell Link Road offers a fascinating glimpse into Suffolk’s rich heritage and the lives of its early communities.
“Working closely with OCA, we have ensured these finds are carefully recorded and preserved for future study. This project demonstrates how major infrastructure developments can contribute to understanding our past while building for the future.”
Rosanna Price, Engagement Manager at Cotswold Archaeology, who features in the new Digging for Britain episode, said the excavations were a ‘labour of love’.
She said: “I grew up in Suffolk and cannot overstate the privilege of watching my county’s expansive and epic history be revealed through the hard work of everyone in the OCA team. What an honour to present Digging for Britain and share all this with the people of Suffolk as a positive outcome of the Sizewell C developments.”
Across 70 sites, about 200 OCA archaeologists are excavating roughly 2 million square metres of land – making Sizewell C the largest and most complex dig of a generation.
Councillor Debbie Richards, Suffolk County Council’s deputy cabinet member for Archaeology and Landscape Partnerships, said: “Suffolk continues to reveal its stunning past, and the magnitude of these discoveries should not be under-estimated.
“It is therefore important that the council’s archaeological service plays its part to make sure that our history is not lost.
“We protect and document Suffolk’s history and our officers work closely with the team at Sizewell C to ensure that all archaeological investigations are carried out to high standards.
“The archaeological objects from Sizewell C will be deposited in our archive, allowing us to make them available for future research and museum display.”
An OCA open weekend is being held at Yoxford Village Hall on Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 February, from 10am to 4pm, where items found during Sizewell C excavations will go on display.
The news comes following a separate medieval discovery at a ScottishPower Renewables site in Friston, near Saxmundham late last year.