Why the British Museum buried the Sutton Hoo treasures just after finding them.
In short: Days after the Sutton Hoo Anglo-Saxon treasures were gifted to the British Museum in 1939, they were sent back underground. This video explores the urgent evacuation of the museum's most vital artifacts to protect them from the imminent threat of aerial bombardment during the Second World War.
On 23 August 1939, the British Museum announced that the newly excavated Sutton Hoo collection would be displayed for the public. However, the museum quickly received orders from Whitehall to evacuate its most significant items due to the looming war with Germany.
To safeguard these treasures from the Blitz, the museum utilized an unfinished and underused London Underground tunnel. This clandestine storage site served as a sanctuary for thousands of artifacts, keeping them beyond the reach of expected air raids on London.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Where were the Sutton Hoo Treasures during World War Two?
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