Digging the dirt on Sutton Hoo - your questions answered

We asked Laura Howarth, Archaeology and Engagement Manager at Sutton Hoo, to dig the dirt and answer some of your archaeology questions. Here's what she had to say.

[@steve660917]

Who else is here because of the dig? What a brilliant film!! Really pleased that Basil Brown finally got his recognition.

[@louisavondart9178]

10,000 pounds finders fee would have been better.

[@drinksnapple8997]

garbage movie

[@bl7355]

A stunning film and I was very impressed with Ralph Fiennes' sensitive portrayal of Basil Brown. He is the first actor I have ever seen to have successfully tackled the Suffolk accent without completely murdering it or just doing a Gloucestershire accent straight from The Archers. He deserves recognition for this.

[@bl7355]

@@drinksnapple8997 what didn't you like about it?

[@markclapham3578]

Yes, watched it today, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Ralph is from that neck of the woods so he had the accent down to a T .

[@townsville69]

Says a lot about Mrs Pretty. Given a priceless treasure and gives it away so people can enjoy it. What an outstanding person.

[@Joe-nm2lm]

She doesnt look like she was struggling tbh.

[@davejohnson5847]

@@Joe-nm2lm Does it really matter if she was rich? Think of how many historical treasures are held in private collections. She did the right thing for the country in my opinion.

[@unitedkingdomoffiveeyes9765]

@@davejohnson5847 well said...

[@timweiner7990]

@@Joe-nm2lm Just because somebody already has money doesn't mean that they're generous or magnanimous. Wealthy people can be and often are greedy, selfish, or ambitious in ways that would incline them to always collect and rarely give.

[@mildanimal5967]

Pretty by name, pretty philanthropic by nature.

[@battles423]

Odd how this was recommended on KZbin after I watched “The Dig” on Netflix. Big brother is watching.

[@Cecilia13241]

Bruh same. Just like how TikTok will show me clips that relate to what I've searched on the internet. All of these sites, apps, listen to what you search. It's good that you're aware of it lol

[@christineashmeade6656]

Travis are you not following world news? Cambridge Analytica is the company that used data to help influence the Brexit vote, and companies like them with foreign companies influence got Trump elected! The use of your data is being manipulated by many companies to sway your opinion, build a profile of you that can be sold, reproduced and used against you. Big brother and his cousins are all watching us, all of us!

[@Cecilia13241]

@Monkey Harris Do tell, what _can_ we do about it? Besides not use the internet at all.

[@Cecilia13241]

@Monkey Harris To me it sounded like you were, sometimes it's hard to tell a person's meaning through text. Yeah, there's not much we can do.

[@allahismyprophet]

@@Cecilia13241 watch that documentary on Netflix! The Social Dilemma i think its called? Explain exactly how you can break free from it all. Use other search engines rather than Google, turn a lot of features off on your phone you didn't even realise were on! Youre being tracked& monitored constantly. They know every Google search, EVERYTHING 😅🧐 Its scary really but its the way the world has become

[@perryshields8469]

In the 60's, my dad (USAF fighter pilot) was stationed at RAF Woodbridge about a mile from Sutton Hoo and every time we drove into town we would pass by the turnoff (marked with a small sign simply saying "Sutton Hoo" and an arrow). As a kid I was obsessed with science and I already knew what the place was, but in over two years there we never went to see it!

[@lizbrown7232]

It's not too late!

[@floydriebe4755]

thanks for the subtitles! i don't hear well, so miss many points made by people with accents and in areas with echoes or background noise. great content on a great subject. have known of Sutton Hoo for years, but wasn't aware of the amount of information available. will have much fun researching this, especially with quality videos such as this one.

[@SuperMeowingtons]

Who’s here from The Dig on Netflix?

[@lidymaehoward6726]

Great movie, I watched it twice and shared it with my family.

[@bobthebinbag5949]

Loved it, anything to do with the “ Anglo Saxons”and “Vikings” is right up my street 👍

[@ReinToet]

Yup

[@Deliquescentinsight]

Nicely presented, clear, concise. I would love to know what is contained in the other mounds, probably more burials one would think!

[@davefoc]

I agree, but I would have liked it longer.

[@jamgart6880]

I’d love to see those geo-phys results, it’s all very interesting

[@frankmcdonald66]

I stumbled across Sutton Hoo when I searched online for Hoo Island in the Thames Estuary. It is fascinating. I look forward to being able to travel again and visiting the UK. Interesting history is everywhere over there.

[@vipertwenty249]

That replica of the helmet was made by Roland Williamson. Isn't it just stunning!

[@quattordicimontenapoleone3113]

Wuffing dynasty? The historical enemies of the Meow tribes?

[@Vulturefist]

Criminally underappreciated comment mate!

[@dgo6134]

Brilliant, deserves more attention. I laughed out loud when I read it.

[@tomoreilly1808]

Genius...I too laughed out loud.

[@jimthompson2836]

Historically, they apparently fought like cats and dogs...

[@sherrytelle]

Bwahahhaha!

[@anarchistangler]

Excavate it all, put it in the museum and give us a look. All I can see are some grassy hills. Doesn't really satisfy my curiosity, and how hard can it be to restore that?

[@stephanieyee9784]

This is a lovely, interesting and informative video. Thank you for answering so many important questions I didn't realise I had. 🙂 I would love to visit Sutton Hoo if I ever make it back to England.

[@paoloviti6156]

"No digging here because it is so destructive" but I would like to point out that most of the burial mound was almost destroyed by time, humidity and acidity so by not digging we would never have known about it's treasure. We should think about this important issue....

[@elmersbalm5219]

It seems that digging was implied. They don’t want to dig blind and aren’t in a hurry. The soil might be doing slow damage but mistakes in a dig plan will do quick irreversible damage. Nowadays we can learn a lot more from the dirt than even 20 years ago.

[@paoloviti6156]

@@elmersbalm5219 honestly I have the impression that they will drag on and on their feet by doing nothing about it in order to not repeat repeat the same mistakes...

[@silverstar4289]

It is a flaw common to archeologists. Better to let artifacts rot away to nothing, than to recover them and have no reference, because recovery in situe is critical to them. Truth is, significant finds are discovered by metal detecting hobbyists, though they are the bane of the academics. They actually are the reason most of them have a career .

[@romainvicta3076]

Its a pathetic excuse - i believe its because they dont have the money to dig - and want 100 % certainty that there is a treasure trove . Look like metal detectrorists are our true friends in finding historical finds as archaeologists seemingly have no urge to dig in such places. I believe they are out of funds and need an excuse for themselves to keep their job - if they dig and find nothing they will be out of work as they just wasted their money. So in a way metal dectectorists are true archaeologists as they do it for free

[@admiralcraddock464]

A nd then there is the possibility that in one of those mounds could be a find of history changing significance. For all we know Artifacts they prove Jesus visited these shores centuries before could be under that soil gradually eroding away.

[@bernardmcmahon5377]

Excellent presentation, thanks 👍

[@toastrecon]

I would think that there would be some urgency in excavation if the soil was acidic and presumably was still getting rain? I mean, yeah, you disturb stuff when you dig it up, but every rainstorm turns more of the material into dust.

[@Nwmguy]

You also have to consider that the techniques and technologies for uncovering the artifacts will undoubtedly be much less destructive and more effective in the future. Think about some early archeological digs and all the information we lost because they simply didnt have the tools or knowledge to dig safely.

[@andydavidson]

anything left in the other mounds will be fossilised anyway like the ship burial so theres no rush to unearth anything else, they have been there over 1500 years a few more decades wont matter.

[@PadmeP]

@@andydavidson eventually all the iron will corrode to nothing.

[@andydavidson]

@@PadmeP whats another 10 or 20 years going to do to anything left under the ground there? nothing much, safest place for anything thats left.

[@kezkezooie8595]

@@andydavidson The contents, if any, of the mounds haven't been in the ground long enough to be fossilized [although the presenter described the wood as such, it's not fossilized in the common way people think of fossils] and the soil is acidic in that area so while gold will be okay, many materials like wood, bones, leather etc are dissolved and iron will corrode. It's likely that any skeletal remains will be long gone as was the case with the ship burial but it would be interesting to see what else remains in the mounds before most of it, once again, if anything is in the mounds, is all gone.

[@SpiderDijon2]

I really enjoyed the video

[@JaneDoe-vi5yc]

Mrs. Pretty was such a magnanimous person to donate the treasure for all to enjoy. What a lady. It's a good thing the treasure wasn't on my property--- I probably would have just sold it and bought myself candy.

[@dnr2089]

I would have kept it to drool over....My Precious!

[@princessk_off_everything]

Treasure was under her bed? Go watch again! 😜😂

[@dmcgee3]

When I signed up for dental insurance a few years ago it asked for preferred language from a drop down list. Old English and Middle English were choices and I regret to inform you that there are no dental clinics in the greater Midwest US that matched to my eternal disappointment.

[@larry.bailye5510]

lololololololol

[@bruceschneider4928]

Wonderful! Thank you.

[@harbourdogNL]

Thanks Laura. Have there been any LIDAR surveys of the other mounds or the area around them? Hope to visit Sutton Hoo one day.

[@dnr2089]

That would be great wouldn’t it! Lidar I mean....

[@howser1961]

Very informative - thank you.

[@RedcoatsReturn]

Great documentary! I 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏have visited the museum at Sutton Hoo, fascinating! Yes lets escalate the other burrows when the resources are ready 😊😉👍👍

[@margaretflounders8510]

They've now built a replica of the ship, the size of it is immense! There's also a tall platform where you can see over the whole area..

[@fragnshrapnels]

The dig was fun to watch but i kinda wished it showed more archelogical aspects. It was more a showcase to show that 1940s period with the tension of ww2 and regular lovestory. I really gotta give credit to the actor that played basil.

[@shafur3]

Great vidio thank you.

[@TheMicroTrak]

I have never heard of Sutton Hoo, but my hero, Dr. Zeuss, tells me that his associate did in fact, hear him!

[@grumhelden]

“registered charoty”. thanks for the video, sutton hoo would be high on my list of time machine destinations

[@ColonelBummleigh]

Go forward in time to when it's open tommorow at 9am.

[@Thecoincollector.]

Just scrolling down to if anyone else noticed that

[@ColonelBummleigh]

@@Thecoincollector. I saw that.And I like your style.

[@Maxibon2007]

Every M. R. James fan : “NO DIGGIN’ ‘ERE!”

[@museonfilm8919]

Only the curious would dare!

[@vamboroolz1612]

@@museonfilm8919 is that A Warning?

[@borderlands6606]

M R James' "A Warning to the Curious" predicted Sutton Hoo in many ways. Same locality, same Saxon treasure. Protection from impeding invasion. There's even a supernatural element to its discovery, as it was dug on the suggestion of Mrs Pretty's friend, who kept seeing ghostly figures on the mound. Fortunately no axe in the head for Basil.

[@dnr2089]

A Warning to the Curious 🤨

[@jenniferfulford3871]

I watch The Dig just this morning 😱

[@markcarey8426]

Me, last night. Now this morning I'm wondering around yt looking up stuff about Sutton Hoo, like I suspect millions of others.

[@joshscott7401]

Thank you so much. I was just wondering this. I saw a trailer for the coming movie, The Dig. Never heard of these discoveries. Amazing!

[@PadmeP]

And the results of the geophysics are....? Even TimeTeam can get instant results to share with the public. The academic archaeologists never wanted to evacuate so Mrs Pretty had to organise and finance herself. All these years later the archaeologists are still using the same excuses. Thank god Mrs Pretty ignored them so that the world could actually see what was buried.

[@MTRGUY]

Didn't Basil imply in the movie that ship mound was the best mound to excavate because it did not appear to be disturbed, or whatever was underneath had not collapsed leaving the flat or dished top?

[@margaretflounders8510]

They found in fact, it had been, but whoever had missed the centre, must've thought that's it, nothing there...

[@violethalton1508]

Yes most definitely

[@paulking54]

Readwald, we also know he was an english size seven shoe, always handy to know.

[@maxwellfan55]

Twinkle toes!

[@airborneranger-ret]

Thump thump thump goes my heart :)

[@nicktombs1876]

And according to the British museum curators the high status individual buried in the main mound was left handed.

[@WhirlyPearly]

Why do important British Archeological digs not deploy Lidar ? It’s used at so many other archeological sites I don’t understand. Is it too expensive or not fit for purpose at the sites?

[@lizzyoct560]

Why were there no remains found with the ship? Do you think the remains are in one of the other mounds ?

[@sarahteaching]

The boat acted as a kind of acid bath, which left only chemical traces of the body.

[@lizzyoct560]

@@sarahteaching thank you for your response. Of course that makes sense, after hundreds of years the acidity would certainly destroy the remains.

[@summertime9629]

It’s very suss to a lot of us that there’s been a Wowaaah nowaa. (Ya have to wonder if they already have used all the tech on them & realize they’re empty or??) that whole.. slow down & wait attitude when most of us know that so many of the other materials that could’ve educated the world more about where so many of us came from. After being interested & enthralled by The Sutton Hoo & finding little minute details that are actually HUGE details such as this likely long was almost definitely left handed & it showed that it wasn’t shamed like it had been for the last several hundred years. I finally watched Netflix The Dig & man it was a tear jerker all the way round, but I’d LOVE to know why the B.M. Did not follow the express directions of Mrs. Pretty by also crediting the sweet Basil Brown? And why in the world did t take NINE Years to show it to the public? Yes I’m aware of the war but 9 years just adds even more suspicions along with the whole confusion of Awh Chap we dunt wunna disturb the soil? With technology along with very incredible gentle well educated archeological team that just is such a VERY odd & weird excuse!?

[@rachelhenderson2688]

I wish I knew what on earth you are talking about!!

[@ColonelBummleigh]

If I did a spot of diggin' there at night,can I just keep any old bits of gold or do I have to give a 5% share of the loot? ASsking for a friend. Edit: Diggin' in the ground, not robbing the museum.

[@dnr2089]

🤣

[@princessk_off_everything]

Lol 😂

[@mikepug1]

Is it true they didn't find any skeleton remains? And if not then was this a ceremonial grave as we would have for a lost solider ?

[@livrowland171]

They found the shape of where the king's body would have been but it had disintegrated. Not that surprising after 1500 years under mud.

[@mikepug1]

@@BluntofHwicce Thanks for the explanation. I had not come across bones being dissolved by the soil before. Makes perfect sense now that you say it.

[@johanrunfeldt7174]

Sutton, in the westrogothian dialect of Swedish, means "seventeen", and supposedly there are seventeen mounds at Sutton Hoo. Coincidence?

[@Peter-ri9ie]

Wow. I didn’t there were seventeen mounds there. That’s quite a few! Interesting ides. But I wonder how they said seventeen in Anglo-Saxon. Do you know how it was said in Sweden back then? That would give us a clue if it’s a coincidence or not!

[@silverstar4289]

Prompted a question in my mind. The term for a native is Indiana is Hoosier. Never has been a solid accounting for how that term was used, but it seems to be originated along the Ohio river, and the Kentucky side in the early pioneer days, would refer to the folks across the river as Hoosiers. One suggestion is that it is a Swedish word for small cabin. I wonder if it is a derivative of hoo, for the hills of southern Indiana that can be seen from the KY side.

[@Peter-ri9ie]

@@silverstar4289 A Swedish word for small cabin could be ‘hus’, pronounced with a long u-sound, almost huuus, just like English house. A small cabin would be ‘ett litet hus’ - a little house. Were there many Swedish settlers there back in the day?

[@silverstar4289]

@@Peter-ri9ie no, it was Swiss immigrants, and Scott’s-Irish emigrants from Appalachia.

[@yewisemountaingoat528]

@@Peter-ri9ie Ignore that wild speculation. This can be found on the net:"the place-name Sutton Hoo is likely derived from a combination of the Old English sut + tun, meaning south farmstead or village, and hoh, which describes a hill shaped like a heel spur." "Do you know how it was said in Sweden back then?" There was no Sweden back then. Heck, Scandinavia itself was sparsely populated in those days with only three larger towns (and that's by Scandinavian levels) while the rest lived in small villages. It wasn't until the late 900's when more permanent settlements were founded. The oldest city of Sweden is Sigtuna, which was founded in 970AD. Most larger cities weren't founded until the 10th and 11th centuries. The bottom line is that prior to the 900's there was virtually nothing in Sweden and the rest of Scandinavia except for a few local trading stations/hubs. Archaeologists have estimated the peak number of inhabitants in the ancient town of Birka (founded around 750AD) to be 700-1000 people. The first recorded raid by vikings on the British isles was on the 8th of June 793AD when a monastery was raided and the monks had to flee. These monks recorded the raiders as "unlike anything they've ever seen or heard about before". In other words there is absolutely no evidence vikings had been visiting the British isles before 793AD. The ship and treasure at Sutton Hill is from the 500's - i.e. roughly 3 centuries *before* the first small raid by the Vikings. Basil Brown even estimated the burial site to be *older* than the Viking era. Last of all most vikings were *Danish* not Swedish. Most of what is southern Sweden was part of Denmark until the Swedes conquered those lands in the 1660's. During the Viking Age 800-1050AD the Swedes didn't even have access to the western coast, which either was in Danish or "Northmen" (ancient Norwegians) possession. Most Swedish vikings actually travelled eastward to what is today the Baltic States, Finland and Russia. The dominant continental power during the 500's and 600's were the Merovingian kings of what is today France. Any trade or cultural interaction with the Anglosaxons would have been with the Merovingians, certainly not any Scandinavian seafarers from a time they literally lived a nomadic life in smaller coastal villages. "That would give us a clue if it’s a coincidence or not!" It's pure speculation based on mere coincidence. At any rate it's irrelevant because people back in those days named *nothing* after numbers. Numbers meant nothing to them and places were named after their founders, kings, local rulers, the geographical location or holy people like saints. "Wow. I didn’t there were seventeen mounds there." Nonsense. Archaeologists have estimated that there originally were 25-40 mounds of different sizes when the area was first used a holy burial ground. Most of them have been leveled or eroded in the subsequent centuries. Quite a few have been raided too. Today there are roughly 20 left. Where these "17 mounds" come from is better left untold but it's textbook speculation based on ignorance.

[@priestland1]

I was told by a relation of Mrs Pretty that some of the precious artefacts found during the excavation were kept safely under her bed.

[@lidymaehoward6726]

Go watch the movie on Netflix

[@richardjones4080]

@@lidymaehoward6726 seen it a few times absolutely superb

[@alastairhopkins245]

Many English County names came from the Anglo-Saxons. Essex was East Saxons, Sussex was South Saxons, Wessex was West Saxons and Middlesex was Middle Saxons. Why wasn't there a Norsex (North Saxons)???

[@codswallop321]

1:10 props to the subtitle team for writing in the "Erm"

[@blastforth]

Fascinating. This has shamed me into reading Beowulf.

[@ihurricane7]

She didn't even answer why we couldn't excavate the other mounds. Just some run-around excuse 🙄

[@bonniekeough244]

Yes, how can you just stand there and not dig?

[@DidntKnowWhatToPut1]

Digs generally only take place these days when sites are at risk of destruction. E.g someone is building a shopping center over some land. Right now the mounds are stable and what's in them is safe for future generations

[@spencer97m]

@@DidntKnowWhatToPut1 Safe for future generations not to see them either, apparently. (^_^)

[@angliscsaxon1288]

WERIAN SE ANGELCYNN

[@AllenManor]

I like how they included "Erm" in the captioning 01:10 . . .

[@dren4805]

Who was in the hoo ?

[@iand8365]

They do not need Lottery funding to commission and conduct geophysical research. Many an affluent and historically interested benefactor would pay for a few people to run up and down a few fields for a couple of days and then run the results through a laptop. Preservation orders or Scheduled Monuments restrictions, I can understand but eighty to ninety years with no exploration due to lack of funding makes out the common person to be obtuse. I hope I make sense lol.

[@charliesilverman1132]

Maybe they don't want anymore questions like 'what is that star of David doing on that silver plate?' and ' Why is the Epic of Gilgamesh depicted on some of the brooch type artifacts?'.

[@iand8365]

@@charliesilverman1132 maybe the Annunaki do or did exist lol.

[@charliesilverman1132]

@@iand8365 the epic of Gilgamesh was the original flood myth, not sure about space men though.

[@alesdrobek2512]

So they haven't excavated any other mounds because it's a destructive proces? Hmm...but if Basil Brown shared that view we would never had discovered anything. Just seems strange. With our modern technology and know-how surely we can excavate carefully and safely?

[@maxwellfan55]

I was thinking the same.

[@andrewsuryali8540]

Basil Brown's methods are no longer acceptable to the archaeological community as a whole. Much data was lost and the fact that he exposed the ship without preparing proper protection from rainwater that he knew would be coming accelerated the destruction of the site and probably damaged many exposed artifacts. He also failed to properly record the original positions of many artifacts or was simply unable to do so due to the way the dig was performed. Today's archaeologists are much more meticulous. Before digging a site you need multiple scans over the grounds, to map it and try to identify the actual boundaries of the site. Then you have to take core samples to identify the layers of earth on the mound and their ages. Is this bone comb part of the main trove or something someone lost on a layer deposited 300 years later? How about those bones over there? Were they part of the royal burial or just luckless persons buried en mass there 200 years later? Withour proper data some romantic might say that the bone comb must have been a cherished object of the king and he had servants buried with him to serve him in the afterlife, neither of which may be true. Oh, and the coring must be done in a way that would not expose the buried objects to the elements. Archaeology is about getting ACCURATE data, not to dig up a bunch of pretty objects to display in museums. Also, in many cases digs are not allowed until acceptable preservation methods have been INVENTED to protect the objects found in the trove. A good example is the Xian terracotta army museum, where exposure of around 2/3 of the terracotta figures was banned for two decades while scientists developed and tried many methods to protect their original coating of paint during exposure.

[@tkralva.6668]

So you didn't watch the video then? They do use modern technology and can see what is buried without disturbing it. I am sure that if there was something of significant importance then the 'destructive' full excavation would take place, but why disturb if we can see the history without disturbing?

[@alesdrobek2512]

@@andrewsuryali8540 Ok that's informative, thanks. But despite all that you wrote...it's been 80 years and these mounds are still a mystery? That's weird.

[@andrewsuryali8540]

@@alesdrobek2512 If you gave me 20k dollars an hour I can get a team of around 50 geotech experts to come, scan, and map the whole mound in 3 days. For around 50% more I can get a specialized construction crew to start digging lines down the boundaries, set up dewatering equipment, lay down geotextile, then start pouring waterproof concrete or polymer in about a month. I can then START thinking about how to do the actual destructive digs by consulting experts worldwide at maybe a few million bucks, get the proper permits, then plan it out. It's really all about how much you're willing to spend in good old benjamins.

[@xolwora2762]

Why are there subs?

[@user-nq9gz4xf7f]

She must have been a wonderful lady who wasnt thinking of her possessions but what belonged to England

[@redceltnet]

*Britain

[@redceltnet]

@@BluntofHwicce What part of the Acts of Union of 1706 & 1707 don't you understand? This is Britain.

[@redceltnet]

@@BluntofHwicce Unless you just stepped out of a time machine, none of that matters. We're living in the here-and-now. And... in the here-and-now, the Sutton Hoo artifacts belong to the people of Britain. This isn't rocket science. Why are you struggling so badly with this?

[@richardwilson1234]

Those of you who have watched the film should go to Kieron Hodgson's KZbin channel.

[@cankerbloom9015]

Yes I saw it before the film, it made little sense. Then I saw it after watching the film - hilarious!

[@gazorpazorp9798]

Eh, they should still excavate the area. The contents of the other mounds are actively being destroyed by the same natural forces that devastated the treasures that were excavated in 1939.. Who knows what history is being lost?

[@bluegent7]

That sounds reasonable.

[@marks.6480]

No they shouldn't. Excavating is very rarely done nowadays; usually only to rescue things that are otherwise going to disappear under a new building or railway. Not only is it destructive but it also robs future generations of the opportunity to study things in situ with their new technologies. Things like ground-penetrating radar didnt exist in 1939. Who knows what they will come up with 100 years from now but it will be better and more advanced.

[@lechatel]

@@marks.6480 Anyone who has any experience of digging metal artefacts knows what you say is basically nonsense and the whole belief in new technology regarding archeology is dangerously cultish. I have seen a huge deterioration in the metal quality of artefacts and coins which are dug now compared with their equivalent dug just 30 years ago. The problem of acid rain and other pollutants but also the affects of chemicals on the land. All a corrosive cocktail . The actual logic of leaving things in the ground for 'future generations'....presumably so they in turn can leave them in the ground for future generations is pretty lacking.( It reminds me forcibly of my grandma leaving lots of neatly folded linen to hand on...often still in it's wrapping.....and mother doing exactly the same thing and handing them on to me. By which time they were foxed and yellowed and useless. ) Archies get sniffy about physical finds.....think it makes them somehow morally superior.....but actually the things which generate interest, public engagement and , of course, the funding that comes with it....are the finds. It also is true that finds like the original Sutton Hoo and the staffordshire Hoard have given decades worth of departures for study and understanding.

[@gazorpazorp9798]

@@marks.6480 Disagree. You don’t make any case against my main point. The acid bath from the local soil, rain etc. is actively destroying the contents those mounds. We have to balance the hope of future technology versus the destruction that’s going on now. It seems better to rescue these items in that are in imminent danger of being destroyed forever rather than hope that in 10 or 20 years a they are still there and be we have developed thetechnology to better and more safely excavate them. Ground penetrating radar has been around for a while now and isn’t going to do much to preserve whatever treasures lie within those mounds.

[@marks.6480]

@@lechatel that's treasure hunting and not archeology

[@davidhefner5668]

Is her son still living today?

[@yewisemountaingoat528]

He passed away in cancer aged 57 in 1988.

[@bengilkes7676]

How do you mean "can't go back"?

[@AtheistOrphan]

Excavation destroys the stratigraphy.

[@bjorntoulouse7523]

Sod the stratigraphy, dig the gold up. Some thief with a metal detector will anyway, if it’s not done properly.

[@Joe-nm2lm]

@@AtheistOrphan Honest question - why is stratigraphy important?

[@bengilkes7676]

@@AtheistOrphan What is stratigraphy and why is it more important than history?

[@bengilkes7676]

@@AtheistOrphan Nudge

[@johnathanryan2117]

I wondered what had happened to the old Wuffing dynasty.

[@somebloke13]

My dog is named Wuffa, so the dynasty is alive and well, but in canine form😁

[@johnathanryan2117]

@@somebloke13 🤣🤣🤣

[@TheEnglishRedneck45]

Their bark was worse than their bite

[@adrianlloyd6403]

They all got spade.

[@dnr2089]

The last of the Wuffings, or Wuffingas, was Aelfwald, who died in 749 AD. After his death there is some uncertainty as to the origins of his successors.

[@markaluge]

Typical that there is no mention of Basil Brown who excavated the site for Mrs Pretty, but then he wasn't part of the archeological elite and therefore overlooked.

[@Xanzia1972]

-ton means valley.

[@tomoreilly1808]

Did the Wuffing Dynasty believe in one true Dog or were they like the Romans and had many?

[@mikesaunders4775]

The burial contained artefacts relating both to the old English gods and Christianity, it was a time of transition. Raedwald (if it is he) may have begun to embrace Christianity, but the nature of the burial suggests a passage to Valhalla rather than heaven. The Wuffings had their family origins in Scane, now part of Sweden and retained links to the old country after moving to Britain.

[@naklabtimothy2462]

What is really bothersome is that once again Basil Brown gets NO CREDIT for the dig at Sutton Hoo.

[@EastofEnglandNT]

Hi Naklab, this clip was filmed last year during lockdown, to answer some of the questions we were being asked about Sutton Hoo, whilst people couldn't visit. We hope you're able to visit in the future, as Basil's story is very much told on site, as part of an experience in Tranmer House that explores the 1939 dig and further archaeology on this important site.

[@dmacisaac9382]

Grave robbers , I'd be worried about them ....

[@jebusgod]

Amazing the ship looks much bigger than what we think the size of the viking ships were. Such as shame so much is lost to the sands of time and that much of history was destroyed by the Christians be it in the UK or South America

[@hetrodoxly1203]

What history was destroyed by Christians in the UK?

[@unclemonty9506]

but who was Sutton?

[@dnr2089]

Did you not listen?

[@unclemonty9506]

@@dnr2089 it's a joke ass hat

[@TheKnitch]

@@unclemonty9506 not a very funny one, f*ck knuckle.

[@DougDownDetecting]

Have they moved the pig farm yet? When I was there a couple of years back, the stench from it was horrendous. No other important historical site in the Western world would be allowed to suffer such surroundings. The 'viewing' platform is dismal too, reminding me of the staircase of a modern multi-storey car park. All it needed was a whiff of wee...As a proud Anglian, I am dismayed by the lack of respect for this burial place of Kings. A recreated ship (at an eye-watering price as I recall) and refurbishments of a grand Edwardian House do not make up for this missed opportunity to make this site what it deserves to be, especially as all the real treasures are only allowed to be displayed in London, a city seemingly hell-bent on having nothing to do with England at all.

[@DazzleMonroe]

Suffolk is an agricultural county. The recent finds at Rendlesham are on private land, and have to be vacated when crops need to be planted. What would you have preferred the tower to be made out of? There's no recreation of the ship at Sutton Hoo, but there is a full size representation in the form of a sculpture. A replica ship is being built across the river in Woodbridge, which is free to visit. Tranmer house has not been "refurbished". The last major change was made by the Bartons, who in the 50's chopped off two floors to save on heating. Some rearrangement of rooms has been done too. But if you know the history of the house, it's been changed and adjusted since it was built. It's not a listed building for this reason. The rightful owner of the ship treasure, in her wisdom, decided that The British Museum would be the best place for maximum visitors. If the treasure were at Sutton Hoo, it would transform that sleepy part of Suffolk beyond recognition. Not to mention security, insurance, a car park bigger than Woodbridge and road improvements to cope with the extra traffic. London is as English as I am.

[@UAPJedi]

No I’m not here because of the dig film.

[@sidecarbod1441]

0:53 I thought "rad weld" was something cheapskate mechanics dumped into a car radiator when it sprung a leak, well you live and learn!

[@51WCDodge]

Just a point. Every British Nuclear submarine includes Rad Weld in the toolkit.

[@sidecarbod1441]

@@51WCDodge Well I guess it is better than dropping a couple of raw eggs into the coolant system!

[@51WCDodge]

@@sidecarbod1441 Worksbetter if you beat the eggs with a couple of teaspoons of Porriidge. before putting it in.:-)

[@BarmyBrummie1]

No mention of Basil Brown?

[@richardthomas1566]

The stuff will rot away for ever if you don’t dig it up

[@romainvicta3076]

Not digging for "preservation" Its a pathetic excuse - i believe its because they dont have the money to dig - and want 100 % certainty that there is a treasure trove . Look like metal detectrorists are our true friends in finding historical finds as archaeologists seemingly have no urge to dig in such places. I believe they are out of funds and need an excuse for themselves to keep their job - if they dig and find nothing they will be out of work as they just wasted their money. So in a way metal dectectorists are true archaeologists as they do it for free

[@thorne1239]

It's not that hard to google and find out that the national trust generates more 200 million pounds per year through various income streams. I doubt the lack of money is the issue.

[@romainvicta3076]

@@thorne1239 National trust last i heard is running out of money as they use their income to upkeep their properties - They may have that income but the expenditures nullify any profit if there is any

[@neilrutherford4038]

Goodness, they can’t even spell Charity (see comments at very end).

[@alexanderhansen3344]

It bothers me that she does not pronounce ae as æ, or just say 'redwald'

[@JonFrumTheFirst]

Archaeologist: archaeology is destructive, so we won't do it.

[@matthewgrimm5383]

Curiosity isn't reason enough to dig up mounds

[@vivalaleta]

Is the interior of your museum PLASTIC WOOD?

[@cymro6537]

Why do people - even academics now begin a sentence with 'so' ? 🤔

[@ArcofNeptune]

And why do people feel they need to wear those awful lanyards all the time?

[@dnr2089]

I know! It drives me mad!

[@andrewwhelan7311]

Shame it's not Saxon folks.

[@Elsprouto]

Tell me Laura Howarth why you never mention the man who was responsible for finding this wonderful treasure, namely Mr. Basil Brown. It's typical English Snobbery at it's worst, he was an amateur and not a so-called professional. It grates the so-called elite that someone from an ordinary background could find such a thing when they didn't. Shame on you Laura Howarth and the British Museum that you still can't bear to mention his name even now.

[@dalenordling9892]

Such a lot of venom! Why--What's your agenda? Mr. Brown was the first person invited to investigate/excavate the site. No one else, "elite" or otherwise had been give the opportunity.

[@EastofEnglandNT]

Hi Terry, this clip was filmed by Laura last year in lockdown, answering the top questions we were being asked about Sutton Hoo. There are so many stories we can share and questions we can answer. We hope you're able to visit Sutton Hoo once we're out of lockdown as you'll be able to see that Basil Brown is very much part of the story and exhibition in Tranmer House at Sutton Hoo, which explores the 1939 dig and further archaeology at this important Suffolk site.

[@mikesands4681]

That reason and they are afraid of releasing the entombed wights on the world.

[@blurrytoken9489]

The barrow wights

[@townsville69]

Nothing a good dragon born couldn't fix with a few Fus Ro Dah.

[@dnr2089]

Fog on the Barrow Downs.....a chilling chapter....

[@degmar]

Excavation may be destructive, but so is leaving artifacts in the ground, as she explained in describing the ship.

[@roachdoggjr1940]

Nah... I'm just gonna say that Beowulf was real.

[@davidpeat9484]

Nice hips

[@daithideburca98]

Now imagi e if the sutton hoo treasures were the property of the greek museum, maybe thats why they want their marbles back

[@sarabarnes5660]

The lush request collaterally bare because acknowledgment strikingly attempt below a busy albatross. hanging, deep surname

[@richardwilson1234]

Pardon?

[@dnr2089]

What the heck?!

[@AnEnemy100]

Due to not great sound quality I keep hearing phrases like: “after the great shit burial” Which is funny but probably not what you want. (Sorry)

[@michaelperry4308]

Best reason not to excavate, they are not mounds, they are peoples graves.

[@romainvicta3076]

Sorry but i dont think leaving things in the ground will be to the betterment of preservation - If they are left in the ground then they will never be looked upon and will deteriorate further. This is a poor excuse - the real reason is no one has the money to be spending on digging / cant be asked to put their own money in

[@lizbrown7232]

If Carter had taken the same approach, everything in the tomb of King Tut would just have ended up being stolen by grave robbers.

[@romainvicta3076]

@@lizbrown7232 i think you misread my comment - im saying they should be taken

[@bobito8997]

I really wish people would stop this habit of starting sentences with the word "So". The word is meaningless when used in this way.

[@allahismyprophet]

You worry too much if that concerns you 😂😂

[@maxwellfan55]

@@allahismyprophet Disagree. The overuse of "so" is a distraction, a disregard of the English language, and evidence of someone who cannot phrase their sentences properly. I also find it annoying, as I do your casual reply and silly emojis.

[@allahismyprophet]

@@maxwellfan55 your talking to a guy who's vocabulary consists of "lad" "ennit" "mush" , im from the west mids bruv😅🤣😤

[@allahismyprophet]

@@maxwellfan55 like it or not, slang Is taking over the 'English language '.. different cultures have all had their affect on the way we all speak today. I know so many new words & meanings that literally didn't exist when I was learning to speak, read & write. Its the 21st century, get with the times ! I could use words and phrases you would never understand but my friends & I understand perfectly. But I can see you're stuck in your ways matey 😉 its peak

[@allahismyprophet]

@@maxwellfan55 also, emojis have become a way of expression! Many, many people can use emojis to talk in a text & understand exactly what someone else means! Its scary how people don't want to adapt & evolve. Instead you'd rather live in the past 🧐 being stuck in your ways will get you nowhere. Especially the way the 🌎 is going right now!

[@petrovonoccymro346]

Hmmm....jury out on whether this is a Saxon burial or a British one. The helmet shows a moustache but no beard. The Roman historians tell us that the British tribes such as the Silures of South Wales wore moustaches only, but no beards. The Saxons were proud of their beards. The ship divets were metal. But the Saxons used wooden divets in their ships, the British used metal ones. Even more telling is the fact that the spoons found buried there have a Chi Ro cross on them, the mark of Christians. The Saxons were heathens. The British were Christians. The Welsh in particular were very early Christians and had their own Church for hundreds of years before St Augustine arrived to Christianise the Saxons. Augustine was astonished to find the Welsh were already Christians. They would maintain their own Celtic Church for centuries more before the Synod of Whitby, when they agreed to join with the English.

[@littleannie390]

Only two Saxon ship burials have ever been discovered and both used iron rivets. Also this is believed to be the burial of Redwald who was one of the first kings to be converted to christianity. There are also pagan artefacts in the burial.

[@anonimouse4678]

Cant be sure who's in there because there never is

[@trent5555]

Grave robbers!

[@utt1229]

If you are interested in what Sutton Hoo is all about and have never been,then to save a few bob,just watch the film.Because if you go,they will charge you a fortune,then send you on a long walk where you will see the mounds,from distance [take your binoculars] .Then direct you into the Gift Shop and after direct you into a sort of display area,where you will see a fake of the real mask,that was found.Disappointed,oh yes.

[@margaretflounders8510]

We always take our Australian family and friends to Sutton Hoo, no one has said they've had to pay a fortune..You didn't have to go on a long walk with a guide telling you interesting things, same with Gift shop, you haven't a gun to your head, and most like a souveneir You're not daft enough to think a priceless mask would be still he sitting there?

[@utt1229]

@@margaretflounders8510 Well,you must have a lot of Australian friends then, to keep taking them all there and perhaps they are being polite and not telling you about the expense. I have noticed that you have not come up with anything else that is there,to look at except a couple of mounds and a fake mask. I didn't know they had guide's.If they have then must be the easiest job going.

[@hetrodoxly1203]

Utter nonsense.

[@daveberry9922]

get a jcb in, dig it up, sell the gold and help kids

[@karldelavigne8134]

So that they grow up in a world devoid of their heritage.

[@daveberry9922]

@@karldelavigne8134 no just make brass copies of it lol. we could also rip down brass statues and weigh them in for scrap.

[@karldelavigne8134]

@@daveberry9922 Statues aren't made of brass. And you think making copies is cheap? Why not encourage people not to have kids if they can't afford to feed and educate them? Overpopulation is the main reason why the environment is damaged.

[@daveberry9922]

@@karldelavigne8134 i tottally agree, i have folk living near me on benifits, one has two houses, fives kids from five different fathers, they reckon they are getting free lap tops soon, yet they all smoke week, do coke and have a the lastest cloths, i agree with you,

[@daveberry9922]

@Monkey Harris you know i saw some kids getting free computers on the news today, they all had designer gear on, it make me sick, their parents are smoking and drinking stella first thing in the morning.

[@flopofshame2582]

Unnecessary subtitles

[@Canalcoholic]

Shield the microphone from the wind and stop beginning every sentence with “So,”. Otherwise, quite interesting.

[@oceandrew]

It sure beats ending every sentence with "so....".

[@ilricettario]

Don’t need the fixed subtitles thank you very annoying!

[@alangeorgebarstow]

Please don't start every statement with a vacuous and utterly unnecessary "So". It makes you sound extremely uneducated and ruins the presentation.

[@dnr2089]

My current pet peeve! 😬

[@williampawson5476]

A WASTE of 4 minutes of my time since she NEVER answered the question about why we don't dig it up othedr than it is a destructive process