Sutton Hoo Exhibit is a Must-See at the British Museum

Not only is the British Museum one of London’s must-visit attractions, admission is free, though a donation is appreciated.

There’s no way to see it all, so your best strategy is to find a good guidebook (e.g. Rick Steves' London 2012) to get an idea of what’s there – then, choose a few galleries that you know you want to visit. Even with that strategy, expect to be tempted away by nearby exhibits.

Fortunately for me, my unofficial guide and British friend Steve had been to the museum often. He recommended an exhibit that I am really glad I didn’t miss.

Sutton Hoo

If the image below looks familiar, that's not too surprising. Over the years, it has come to symbolize the famous Sutton Hoo exhibit, an Anglo-Saxon burial ground, first excavated from 1938-1939. Located about 90 miles northeast of London, the site and its hoard date all the way back to 625 A.D.

The central feature of Sutton Hoo is a wooden burial ship, which is where the battle helmet (above) was found shattered into tiny pieces. The helmet was reconstructed and has "become possibly the most enigmatic and well-known image of Anglo-Saxon Warrior Kingship," according to the official Website of the Sutton Hoo Society.

The Sutton Hoo Shield (below) was also reconstructed in form, with its guilded dragon and bird-of-prey emblems being the only actual surviving artifacts. 

The same gallery housing the Sutton Hoo exhibit is populated with other artifacts that are so old it's difficult to imagine how they could have been fashioned with the technology available at the time.

The Great Torc

The image below shows "The Great Torc," the most famous object from Iron Age Britain. It was buried around 100 B.C. near Snettisham, which is about 110 miles north of London. Torcs were designed to be worn around the neck, and this one weighs a little over 2 lbs. It's made of gold mixed with silver, welded into metal ropes.

The gold cape (below) is even older, dating back to the Early Bronze Age, roughly 1900-1600 B.C. Found crushed and surrounding pieces of bone fragment, the cape was restored by the museum, with some of the missing pieces recreated from gilt copper.

If an in-person visit to the British Museum isn't in your immediate future, a virtual visit to the institution's Website is the next best thing.