Time Team discovers fragments of 6th century Byzantine bucket after month-long Sutton Hoo excavation
A month-long excavation at Sutton Hoo has led to the discovery of fragments of a 6th century Byzantine bucket.
The missing fragments of the Bromeswell Bucket were uncovered in Garden Field earlier this week
The full findings will be revealed in a documentary special next year, presented by Sir Tony Robinson.
It follows weeks of careful excavation and metal-detecting at the National Trust site by specialist archaeologists, conservators and volunteers from Time Team and FAS Heritage.
Tim Taylor, Time Team’s series producer and creator, said: “This year’s dig has been fantastic, and we’ve really been able to piece together part of a 40-year mystery and unearth a new chapter in the Sutton Hoo story.
“Over the past four weeks, we’ve experimented with some new technology and perspectives, including the use of a live 360-camera and first person 'Specs-Cam', which has really brought our fans closer to the action.”
Time Team, which launched on the UK’s Channel 4 in 1994, is now supported by thousands of fans on the membership platform, Patreon, with some supporters travelling from as far afield as the USA and Australia to take part in week three of this year’s dig.
Mr Taylor added it was a ‘fantastic opportunity’ to welcome Patreon supporters and volunteers to the site.
The dig is part of a wider two-year project at the site which is critical to the understanding of both the pre-history and early medieval story of Sutton Hoo.
Fragments of the bucket were first uncovered at Sutton Hoo in 1986, with further pieces unearthed in 2012.
Since then, each fragment has been cleaned, re-shaped and mounted to show how it would have looked, with parts of it now on display in the High Hall exhibition.
Angus Wainwright, Regional archaeologist for the National Trust, said: “Working in partnership with Time Team and FAS Heritage has been an incredible experience.
“It’s really helped to make a difference to our understanding of Sutton Hoo and formed part of our lasting legacy.”
Sutton Hoo is famous for the Great Ship Burial discovered there in the 1930s.
Earlier surveys by Time Team had found some anomalies which led to the excavation of Garden Field.
Mr Wainwright continued: “Because of its proximity to fragments discovered much earlier, we had hoped this year’s dig would yield more of the Bromeswell Bucket, which originated around a hundred years before the ship and its extraordinary treasure was put to rest.
“It’s hoped that this two-year research project will help us to learn more about the wider landscape at Sutton Hoo and the everyday lives of the people that lived there, perhaps even shedding some light on why the Royal Burial Ground was placed where it was – so, this find is a great step on that journey.”
Full details of the coverage and documentary release dates will be confirmed in a future announcement.
