The most powerful ruler among the English kings was acknowledged as 'bretwalda', or supreme king. The Sutton Hoo ship burial site in Suffolk was discovered in AD 1939. It is almost certainly the monument to
King Redwald of East Anglia, who was bretwalda in the AD 620s, and who died in AD 627. Artefacts unearthed by  archaeologists at the Sutton Hoo site included a gold belt, a sword and a shield. There were also several items of  jewellery. most importantly there was a sceptre an standard which must have belonged to the King Redwald. The iron helmet ( right )  was another one of the treasures to be unearthed at Sutton Hoo.