1,400-year-old temple discovered at Suffolk royal settlement

An exposed shallow pit in a field with angular trenches dug within it. A possibly pre-Christian temple from the time of the East Anglian Kings, some 1,400 years ago, has been found at Rendlesham, near Sutton Hoo in Suffolk, by a team of archaeologists led by UCL researchers. The discovery was made over the summer by Suffolk County Council's Rendlesham Revealed community archaeology project. Last year the project uncovered the remains of a large timber royal hall, confirming the location was a royal settlement of the East Anglian Kings. This year's excavations also uncovered evidence of fine metalworking associated with royal occupation, including a mould used for casting decorative horse harnesses similar to the one from the nearby princely burial ground at Sutton Hoo. The royal compound is more than twice the size than had been previously thought. It's bounded by a 1.5 kilometre-long perimeter ditch that enclosed an area of 15 hectares, or the equivalent of about 20 football pitches.