Gallery:
Sutton Hoo
Room / Case / #
41 / 21 /
What do nomads leave behind?
What do nomads leave behind? Very little, even when there was plenty. Some warrior nomads like the Huns, 4th to 6th C, & Mongols, 13th – 14thC, were destroyers. Buckles, broaches and belt fittings are the most common find, as well as being decorative they indicated status and tribal affiliation.
This item: This silver cast hippopotamus was part of a hoard found in Ukraine near the Dniepr River – an old trade route linking the East -West Silk Roads with Russia and Eastern Europe. Sadly, there is no mention of what a hippo is doing in Ukraine.
Similar animal & bird shaped fittings have been found in graves in the forested region from Russia to Siberia. Usually made from copper alloy rather than silver. This ornament only about 8cm long was made in the 6th or 7th C and used to decorate a shield or a saddle. Over a 100 such items were found in the hoard and an example of a broach 13cm long is also shown.