Two photographers were at the site of the Anglo-Saxon ship burial when it was unearthed. After 80 years, their images have been published online.
Archaeologists excavated the largest of the 18 burial mounds in 1939 and found the remnants of an 89-foot-long mound. The Anglo-Saxon culture and burial rituals that were discovered are considered to be among the most famous archaeological discoveries ever made in the United Kingdom.
Two photographers, Mercie Lack and Barbara Wagstaff, shot over 400 images, as well as short videos of the excavation, between August 8 and 25, 1939. By documenting the discovery, they made a significant contribution to the photographic and archaeological record, as well as capturing the social history of an excavation taking place on the eve of the Second World War, which the National Trust now owns.
There is a massive Anglo-Saxon cemetery in England.
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Andrew, the great-nephew of Lack, donated a set of his photographs to the National Trust, which will be used to preserve and share the images from the excavations at the site.
Live Science shared some of the new images from the dig.
Two people stand on each side of a ship to document the excavations. The two amateur photographers hoped that their images would help capture this unique moment in history.
Lack shows the excavation team some prints. They were both teachers and friends, as well as amateur photographers with an interest in archaeology. According to The Guardian, Lack was on holiday in the area at the time of the excavation. She was given permission to document the work and got clearance to join. The British Museum noted that Lack later became an associate of the Royal Photographic Society.
Edith Pretty hired Basil Brown, a local archaeologist, to dig up the mounds. He traveled 35 miles each way between his home and the site. Brown worked as an Archeologist in England until 1965, when he left to work as a teacher.
Archeologist CharlesPhillips and others stand on top of the burial mound to watch the excavations on August 10, 1939. She had an interest in archaeology. She traveled extensively throughout her youth, visiting Pompeii, the Egyptian pyramids, tombs and monuments at Luxor, and other significant digs with her father, who excavated a Cistercian abbey adjoining their home at Vale Royal. When the largest mound unearthed what looked like a huge ship burial, she knew it was of enormous historic significance.
After the treasure trove was discovered, the rightful owner was declared by a jury, but she donated all of the artifacts to the British Museum.
A group of naval cadets are looking at the excavations. Visitors came to watch the excavation unfold after the dig generated a lot of excitement. Brown wrote in his diary that he hoped the newspapers wouldn't get hold of anything concerning the find before an announcement was made. The excavations came to light in July. The discovery of Tutankhamun could be as important in this country as the finding of the tomb of Tutankhamen to Egypt, according to the newspaper.
Princess Marie Louise visited the site in August of 1939 and was photographed with several people.
The rivet is from the excavation. The ship, made of oak, rotted away in the acidic soil, but the iron rivets survived. Some believe that the ship held Raedwald, a seventh-century king of East Anglia. Due to the effort and human power needed to create the burials, including dragging a ship from a river, digging a trench, building a chamber to house the body and then putting a mound over it all, ship burials are rare in England.
The scarf bolts are at the stern of the ship. Once it became clear that the finds were of international importance,Phillips took over the excavations from Brown.
The shot was taken by Lack and shows the ongoing excavations. Many of her images were poorly annotated and she began to draft an unfinished book on the excavations, according to the National Trust. Lack has a unique take on the excavations and work is ongoing to preserve it. According to the National Trust, Lack provided an additional layer of detail to each photograph.
The first and second images are image 1 and image 2.
Image 1 of 2
Image 2 of 2
Lack wrote detailed notes to accompany this photo, which was taken during the excavations. The builder's trowels, fingers and even a pastry brush were used for small details.
An annotated page from Lack's color album shows a photograph of three people at work. The survey of the Anglo-Saxon ship was done by a reserve officer in the Royal Navy, but it was cut short as World War II approached. The Imperial War Museum in London says that the site was closed on August 25, 1939 and that Britain declared war on Germany on September 3, 1939.
It was originally published on Live Science.
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