The renowned Sutton Hoo burial site is famed for its opulent grave goods, but their origins remain a mystery. A newly published study in The English Historical Review presents a groundbreaking theory, offering “a startlingly new view of early Anglo-Saxon history.”
In her article, “Sutton Hoo and Syria: The Anglo-Saxons Who Served in the Byzantine Army,” Helen Gittos challenges the traditional narrative that these objects were gifts or acquired through trade with Merovingian neighbours. Instead, she posits that some of these items, including Byzantine silver spoons, copper-alloy vessels, and other rare artifacts, may have been brought back by Anglo-Saxon soldiers who served as elite cavalry in the Byzantine military.
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Gittos examined the burials at Sutton Hoo and other sites, most notably the princely grave at Prittlewell, which are dated to the late sixth and early seventh centuries. These warriors would have been alive during a time when the Byzantine Empire reached out into Western Europe looking for soldiers. Gittos writes:
In 575, the Byzantine army urgently needed more troops because of the renewed war with the Sasanians. Tiberius, ‘caesar’ under Justin II, ‘conducted a major recruiting campaign’, at great cost, on both sides of the Alps. According to the early seventh-century historian Theophylact Simocatta, Tiberius ‘recruited multitudes of soldiers and rendered the recruits’ hearts eager for danger through a flowing distribution of gold, purchasing from them enthusiasm for death by respect for payment’. Contemporary sources talk of ‘squadrons of excellent horsemen’ numbering some 150,000; modern historians think it more likely to have been in the region of 12,000–15,000.
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Byzantine cavalry units, potentially including Anglo-Saxon recruits, were active on the empire’s north-eastern frontier against the Sasanian Empire. Between 575 and 589, they fought in key regions such as Armenia, Persia, and along the Euphrates River. Notable campaigns included skirmishes near modern Azerbaijan and Syria, with significant operations near Dara and the Arzanene region. This period saw sustained conflict as the Byzantines defended their eastern borders.
Reconstruction of the Prittlewell burial chamber – image courtesy MOLA / Southend-on-Sea City Council
If these Anglo-Saxon soldiers did spend years serving along the Byzantine frontier, it would make sense that they would return to England with treasures and luxury goods. The article notes that the metal composition and stylistic elements suggest Eastern Mediterranean or Middle Eastern origins for these goods. For example, the elite individual buried at Prittlewell was buried with:
Silver Spoon: A large Byzantine-style spoon (late 6th or early 7th century), inscribed with two owners’ names, including one with a Greek-style “A.”
Copper-Alloy Flagon: Adorned with discs of St. Sergius, a martyred equestrian soldier, and one of only three with archaeological contexts.
Copper-Alloy Basin: A rare ‘Coptic bowl’ likely made in Egypt or the eastern Mediterranean, used for hand washing or warming water.
Items found at Sutton Hoo were also shown to have origins in and around the Byzantine Empire, including spoons, bowls and a huge silver dish stamped with the monogram of Emperor Anastasius (491–518). Even more interesting was that many of these items appear to have been made relatively recently.
Bowls and spoons found at Sutton Hoo – Photo by Tjflex2 / Flickr
The study emphasizes the homogeneity of elite culture in Britain during the late sixth and early seventh centuries. Despite regional distinctions, the material culture of the Anglo-Saxon elite reveals shared tastes and influences that extended beyond the British Isles. Grave sites like Sutton Hoo and Prittlewell depict a class of rulers who not only dominated locally but also interacted with a wider, interconnected world.
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The equestrian identity of these elites is a recurring theme, with artifacts such as horse harness fittings and elaborately decorated riding gear appearing across princely burials. This shared cultural idiom likely stemmed from their experiences abroad, including possible service in the Byzantine army.
The hypothesis that Anglo-Saxon warriors served in Byzantium offers new insights into early medieval geopolitics. It suggests that the ties between Britain and the Mediterranean were not merely commercial but also military and diplomatic. This challenges the traditional view of early Anglo-Saxon England as an insular society, instead positioning it as an active participant in a globalized medieval world.
Gittos notes that she is not the only historian to suggest this kind of connection between Anglo-Saxon England and Byzantium, but many have previously doubted this possibility. In her conclusion, she writes:
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I think three things have blinded us. The first is a tendency to see the Anglo-Saxons as late followers of continental trends rather than in step with them. The reasons for this probably have to do with the comparatively late date for the recorded conversion to Christianity, the extent to which Britain was less Romanised than other regions, the degree to which urban life collapsed during the fourth century, and a more general wariness about English exceptionalism. Secondly, there is a tendency to think of Romanitas too much in terms of a Roman past rather than a Byzantine present. The third is a tendency to favour explanations which posit gradual social changes over sudden ones, when of course both can happen concurrently. At a time when there is much consideration about the boundaries of empires, the evidence presented here indicates that the shadow cast by the eastern Roman empire in the west was longer—and less shadowy—than we have tended to think.
Helen Gittos’ study, “Sutton Hoo and Syria: The Anglo-Saxons Who Served in the Byzantine Army?” appears as an Advance Article in The English Historical Review. Click here to read it.
Gittos, a Fellow and Tutor in Medieval History at the University of Oxford, also made headlines last year when she co-authored an article offering a new theory on the origins and function of the Cerne Giant. Please visit her university webpage to learn more about her work, or follow her on Bluesky @helengittos.bsky.social
The renowned Sutton Hoo burial site is famed for its opulent grave goods, but their origins remain a mystery. A newly published study in The English Historical Review presents a groundbreaking theory, offering “a startlingly new view of early Anglo-Saxon history.”
In her article, “Sutton Hoo and Syria: The Anglo-Saxons Who Served in the Byzantine Army,” Helen Gittos challenges the traditional narrative that these objects were gifts or acquired through trade with Merovingian neighbours. Instead, she posits that some of these items, including Byzantine silver spoons, copper-alloy vessels, and other rare artifacts, may have been brought back by Anglo-Saxon soldiers who served as elite cavalry in the Byzantine military.
Gittos examined the burials at Sutton Hoo and other sites, most notably the princely grave at Prittlewell, which are dated to the late sixth and early seventh centuries. These warriors would have been alive during a time when the Byzantine Empire reached out into Western Europe looking for soldiers. Gittos writes:
In 575, the Byzantine army urgently needed more troops because of the renewed war with the Sasanians. Tiberius, ‘caesar’ under Justin II, ‘conducted a major recruiting campaign’, at great cost, on both sides of the Alps. According to the early seventh-century historian Theophylact Simocatta, Tiberius ‘recruited multitudes of soldiers and rendered the recruits’ hearts eager for danger through a flowing distribution of gold, purchasing from them enthusiasm for death by respect for payment’. Contemporary sources talk of ‘squadrons of excellent horsemen’ numbering some 150,000; modern historians think it more likely to have been in the region of 12,000–15,000.
Byzantine cavalry units, potentially including Anglo-Saxon recruits, were active on the empire’s north-eastern frontier against the Sasanian Empire. Between 575 and 589, they fought in key regions such as Armenia, Persia, and along the Euphrates River. Notable campaigns included skirmishes near modern Azerbaijan and Syria, with significant operations near Dara and the Arzanene region. This period saw sustained conflict as the Byzantines defended their eastern borders.
If these Anglo-Saxon soldiers did spend years serving along the Byzantine frontier, it would make sense that they would return to England with treasures and luxury goods. The article notes that the metal composition and stylistic elements suggest Eastern Mediterranean or Middle Eastern origins for these goods. For example, the elite individual buried at Prittlewell was buried with:
Items found at Sutton Hoo were also shown to have origins in and around the Byzantine Empire, including spoons, bowls and a huge silver dish stamped with the monogram of Emperor Anastasius (491–518). Even more interesting was that many of these items appear to have been made relatively recently.
The study emphasizes the homogeneity of elite culture in Britain during the late sixth and early seventh centuries. Despite regional distinctions, the material culture of the Anglo-Saxon elite reveals shared tastes and influences that extended beyond the British Isles. Grave sites like Sutton Hoo and Prittlewell depict a class of rulers who not only dominated locally but also interacted with a wider, interconnected world.
The equestrian identity of these elites is a recurring theme, with artifacts such as horse harness fittings and elaborately decorated riding gear appearing across princely burials. This shared cultural idiom likely stemmed from their experiences abroad, including possible service in the Byzantine army.
The hypothesis that Anglo-Saxon warriors served in Byzantium offers new insights into early medieval geopolitics. It suggests that the ties between Britain and the Mediterranean were not merely commercial but also military and diplomatic. This challenges the traditional view of early Anglo-Saxon England as an insular society, instead positioning it as an active participant in a globalized medieval world.
Gittos notes that she is not the only historian to suggest this kind of connection between Anglo-Saxon England and Byzantium, but many have previously doubted this possibility. In her conclusion, she writes:
I think three things have blinded us. The first is a tendency to see the Anglo-Saxons as late followers of continental trends rather than in step with them. The reasons for this probably have to do with the comparatively late date for the recorded conversion to Christianity, the extent to which Britain was less Romanised than other regions, the degree to which urban life collapsed during the fourth century, and a more general wariness about English exceptionalism. Secondly, there is a tendency to think of Romanitas too much in terms of a Roman past rather than a Byzantine present. The third is a tendency to favour explanations which posit gradual social changes over sudden ones, when of course both can happen concurrently. At a time when there is much consideration about the boundaries of empires, the evidence presented here indicates that the shadow cast by the eastern Roman empire in the west was longer—and less shadowy—than we have tended to think.
Helen Gittos’ study, “Sutton Hoo and Syria: The Anglo-Saxons Who Served in the Byzantine Army?” appears as an Advance Article in The English Historical Review. Click here to read it.
Gittos, a Fellow and Tutor in Medieval History at the University of Oxford, also made headlines last year when she co-authored an article offering a new theory on the origins and function of the Cerne Giant. Please visit her university webpage to learn more about her work, or follow her on Bluesky @helengittos.bsky.social
You can also visit this site to explore the Prittlewell Princely Burial.
Top Image: Sutton Hoo helmet at the British Museum – Photo by Dale Cruse / Flickr
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