Maravilla arqueológica: un casco del siglo VII perfectamente conservado revela el entierro en un barco con oro más opulento del norte de Europa jamás registrado

 

 

Mientras raspaba la tierra, con la tierra espesa bajo sus uñas, el arqueólogo aficionado Basil Brown encontró una sección de tierra dura.

Después de excavaciones posteriores, encontró otras manchas manchadas de óxido y clavos de hierro y remaches esparcidos intermitentemente por el sitio.

Durante varias semanas, tras una operación delicada y minuciosa, el arqueólogo Basil Brown vio la forma de un barco emerger del suelo en el campo de Suffolk.

Había descubierto un barco funerario anglosajón de 86 pies lleno de un rico cargamento de tesoros.

El descubrimiento en Sutton Hoo en 1939 se convirtió en uno de los hallazgos arqueológicos más importantes de Gran Bretaña, aclamado como el “Tutankamón” británico, y hasta el día de hoy el escondite es famoso en todo el mundo.

En el hallazgo se recuperaron más de 260 objetos de tesoro, entre ellos armas, monedas de armadura, joyas, hebillas de oro, placas estampadas y cubiertos de plata.

El hallazgo más valioso de todos fue un casco integral esculpido, lo que llevó a los arqueólogos a concluir que el lugar era el lugar de descanso final de un miembro de la realeza del siglo VII, probablemente Raedwald, un rey de Anglia Oriental.

El descubrimiento en Sutton Hoo, el entierro en un barco más rico jamás encontrado en el norte de Europa, se ha convertido en una película protagonizada por Lily James, Ralph Fiennes y Carey Mulligan.

En 1939 se encontró la huella de un barco anglosajón de 86 pies en Sutton Hoo, en Suffolk. También se recuperaron más de 260 objetos de valor en el botín, incluido este casco, lo que llevó a que el importante descubrimiento histórico fuera aclamado como el “Tutankamón” británico.

Carey Mulligan y Ralph Fiennes protagonizan la película de Netflix como Edith Pretty y el arqueólogo Basil Brown, que sigue el descubrimiento del barco anglosajón

La película, estrenada en enero, está basada en una novela de ficción histórica de John Preston.

El guión sigue el descubrimiento de los tesoros de Sutton Hoo desde el punto de vista de la tía de Preston, Peggy Piggott, interpretada por Lily James, una arqueóloga que fue contratada para ayudar a excavar el barco.

Pero la verdadera historia detrás de la excavación arqueológica de Sutton Hoo es tan fascinante como la ficción.

En 1939, mientras las tensiones aumentaban en Europa y Gran Bretaña estaba al borde de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, Edith Pretty quedó cada vez más fascinada por los grandes montículos cubiertos de hierba en los terrenos de su casa.

La ex enfermera, que sirvió en Francia durante la Primera Guerra Mundial, había vivido en una casa eduardiana en la finca Sutton Hoo, cerca de Woodbridge en el estuario del río Deben, desde 1926.

El barco anglosajón fue descubierto en un campo en Suffolk, en los terrenos de la finca Sutton Hoo de Edith Pretty.

El barco anglosajón fue descubierto en el umbral de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, por lo que los arqueólogos estaban en una carrera contra el tiempo para preservar la preciosa historia.

La señora Pretty contrató al arqueólogo autodidacta Basil Brown (izquierda), interpretado por Ralph Fiennes en la próxima película (derecha), por £ 1,50 por día para investigar montículos de tierra inusuales en su propiedad.

Incapaz de ignorar su interés por más tiempo, en 1937 se puso en contacto con el museo de la cercana ciudad de Ipswich, en Suffolk, que envió al asistente de excavación Basil.

Este arqueólogo autodidacta había dejado la escuela a los 12 años, pero tenía sed de conocimiento y una pasión permanente por los objetos históricos. También era un lingüista entusiasta.

Basil mantuvo diarios de las excavaciones en Sutton Hoo, y sus registros muestran que fue el primero en descubrir restos humanos y algunos artefactos en varios túmulos funerarios de Sutton Hoo.

But in the summer of 1939 he turned his attention to the largest earth mound, known as Tumulus One.

It was there, on May 11, that he made the spectacular discovery.

He later described it as the ‘find of a lifetime’ in a letter to his wife.

Over three months he excavated the 1,300-year-old ship, helped by the estate’s gamekeeper and gardener, employed by Mrs Pretty for £1.50 per day.

‘About mid-day Jacobs (the gardener), who by the way had never seen a ship rivet before and being for the first time engaged in excavation work, called out he had found a bit of iron, afterwards found to be a loose one at the end of a ship,’ Basil wrote in his diary.

‘I immediately stopped the work and carefully explored the area with a small trowel and uncovered five rivets in position on what turned out to be the stem of a ship.’

At one point he narrowly escaped being buried beneath 10 tons of sand as he dug deeper and deeper.

His work slowly revealed the outline of an 80ft vessel – the wood long decayed, but the shape remaining clear in the soil.

Instead, his diaries record finding ‘not wood proper, but ash or black dust due to decomposition of the ship timbers throughout the many centuries.’

‘A ship this size must have been that of a king or a person of very great importance and it is the find of a lifetime,’ the former farm labourer, milkman and woodcutter, wrote.

Experts from The British Museum intervened as news of the find got out, and Anglo-Saxon archaeological expert Charles Phillips tried to dismiss Basil from the dig.

He argued Basil’s lack of training was not suitable for the significance of the find.

He was also concerned, with Britain on the brink of war, that the dig would not be completed and the precious history would not be preserved before war broke out.

Along with the ghostly image of a ship, the archeologist found treasure buried in the ground, including a gold belt buckle (pictured)

The ornate artefacts, inlcuding this decorated shoulder clasp, were of such historical importance it led to the site being hailed as ‘Britain’s Tutankhamun’

The treasures are believed to have to have belonged to King Raedwald of East Anglia and were buried with him when he died, along with the ship that was to carry him to the afterlife

The 263 items of treasure are now housed in the British Museum after the haul was donated to them by Mrs Pretty

But Mrs Pretty fought Basil’s corner and he continued the excavation in the face of protest. And as he dug, he found what was once the boat’s treasure chamber, hidden under a large iron ring.

When the spectacular artefacts began to emerge from the mud, Basil was removed from the dig as the experts took over, and was instead consigned to removing wheelbarrows of dirt from the site.

A new team of archeologists was brought in by Phillips, including Stuart Piggott and his young wife Peggy Preston – played by Johnny Flynn and Lily James in the upcoming drama.

The team pulled a haul of 263 ornate treasures from the earth in the Suffolk field.

Self-taught archologist Basil was removed from the dig when experts from the British Museum intervened in the project. Anglo-Saxon archaeological expert Charles Phillips argued Basil’s lack of training was not suitable for the significance of the find

The artefacts were all recovered from the earth and then buried again – this time hidden underground in disused tube tunnels in London during the Second World War

Experts first thought the treasures were Viking, but realised they were Anglo-Saxon on closer inspection. The treasures rewrote the history of the Dark Ages in Europe

Some of the treasures dated back to the Byzantine Empire, like this ornamental silver plate, which dates back to the sixth century, and shed light on the Anglo-Saxon’s trading networks with Europe

These included a double-edged sword – a prestigious weapon only available to high status warriors – a gold shield and an ornate belt buckle that displayed the best of early medieval craftsmanship.

Experts first thought the treasures were Viking, but realised they were Anglo-Saxon on closer inspection.

Some of the treasures dated back to the Byzantine Empire, while some had travelled to Suffolk from the East, such as some jewellery set with Sri Lankan garnets.

The treasures rewrote the history of the Dark Ages in Europe, with historians able to delve into the Anglo-Saxons trading networks with Europe like never before.

The only notable omission from the finds was the sign of any body buried alongside them.

Experts suggest the acidic soil could have dissolved the bones of the once great warrior, but this theory has been disputed over the decades as other bones had been found in the other tumulus on the site.

Either way, the discovery was made just in time. When war broke out, the dig had to be abandoned and the grounds were used by the Army as a tank training ground.

The heavy machines flattened many of the historical mounds, and caused damage to the intact outline of the ship.

The treasure inquest at Sutton village hall decided that all of the priceless riches rightfully belonged to Mrs Pretty

After the inquest she donated all of the treasures to the British Museum – making the institution’s most signficant donation from a single living individual

The treasures are still displayed in London’s British Museum to this day. But the boat’s outline was damaged when the land was used as a tank training ground during World War II

After a treasure inquest deemed all of the priceless riches rightfully belonged to Mrs Pretty, she donated all of the artefacts to the British Museum – becoming the institution’s most signficant living donor.

The artefacts were of such great historical importance they were stored in London’s disused tube tunnels while the Blitz raged overhead above ground.

The treasures survived the war in tact and are still displayed in London’s British Museum to this day.

Sue Brunning, del Museo Británico, calificó anteriormente el entierro del barco de Sutton Hoo como “uno de los mayores descubrimientos arqueológicos de todos los tiempos”.

The Dig se estrenará en Netflix a partir del 29 de enero.