Exhibit explores team behind Sutton Hoo ship dig

A new exhibition is exploring the people behind the excavation of an Anglo-Saxon burial ground which was portrayed in a Netflix film.

The Dig, starring Carey Mulligan and Ralph Fiennes, tells the story of the discoveries made at Sutton Hoo near Woodbridge, Suffolk, in 1939.

The excavation uncovered a burial ship and a central chamber filled with treasures, including a warrior's helmet, a gold belt buckle, sword and shield, believed to have belonged to East Anglia's 7th Century ruler King Rædwald.

Laura Howarth, Sutton Hoo's archaeology and engagement manager, said she hoped the exhibit at the site would bring in new audiences while allowing those familiar with the story to learn more.

Ms Howarth said the 2021 Netflix film had created what the Sutton Hoo team called "The Dig effect".

"Lots of people were encouraged to come and visit the site curious to discover more about the real Sutton Hoo story and global attention was focusing on this corner of Suffolk," she explained.

"A couple of years on this seemed like the perfect opportunity to revisit the film.

"It's 86 years since the original discovery was made in 1939 and we're using the exhibition as a lens, and the costumes and props that were used in the film, to really shine a spotlight on some of the real people involved in the excavation."

The exhibition, which is called The Dig: A Story Unearthed, includes a number of props used in the film which were based on items used in the original excavation.

Costumes worn by Fiennes, who was born in Suffolk, while he played archaeologist Basil Brown are on display, such as a tweed waistcoat and jacket, glasses and a pocket watch.

Clothing also worn by Mulligan, who played Edith Pretty the former landowner who commissioned the dig, have also been included.

"The exhibition is focusing on the real people behind the film that inspired it and their lives both before and after 1939, to create a rounded picture of them and their contributions to our Sutton Hoo story," Ms Howarth added.

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