From Undisturbed Burial Mound, To Book, To Film - A Review Of The Dig

Intrigue and curiosity for Anglo-Saxon history has surged in recent months with the Netflix adaptation of The Dig. We have covered significant boat burials before on the blog, Tom looked at ship burials in a comprehensive post that can be found here. We planned to do this as a joint effort, but with the slow unlocking of the world from the covid pandemic and day job hours increasing, both book and film reviews have been carried out by Andrea. We hope you enjoy her careful and considered analysis of both film and book. 

Sutton Hoo Dig

Just before the start of the Second World War a fantastic found was made, in Woodbridge, Sussex. The land at the time belonged to Mrs Edith Pretty, her and her husband had wanted to investigate some of the 18 mounds, but he had died before they got the chance. She had contacted the Ipswich Museum and they had suggested Mr Basil Brown, a self taught archaeologist. He agreed to carry out the work and made a start on one of the smaller mounds, he had help from Edith's staff and her nephew Rory Lomax. It was believed that previous attempts to dig on the site had taken place during the Tudor Period, but there was little evidence of this. The next attempt was made during the 1860's, they again left very little evidence. 

Basil started in July 1938 with 3 of the smaller mounds, he dug a trench across the mounds and watched carefully for a difference in soil colours. He found that some of the mounds had been subject to grave robbers, this made it more difficult to work on. Even though they had been robbed they still offered some fines, there was a cremated man, an iron-axe head, beads, glass, and some pottery. Basil had managed to find enough for another excavation to take place the following year. In May 1939, Basil came back and was more then ready to make a start on the next mound, which was the biggest.

His first find was some iron rivets, when he found the first one he stopped work and carefully carried on with a small trowel. As he kept on finding the rivets he found that they made up the prow of a ship. This made him change the way he went about the rest if the dig and made the trench wider. Basil found a ghost ship, the outline of a wooden 88-foot-long ship in the sand which showed were parts of the ship would have been. By June he had reached the burial chamber, he believed the robbers had got to the chamber, but due to the changed shape of the mound he found that  robbers had given up. 

Due to this find, word quickly got out and spread. Edith had decided to call in experts to help out on the excavation, it was then handed over to Charles Phillips of Cambridge University, he then handpicked some of the best archaeologists he knew of. Due to World War Two looming, the team had to work quick and use what they had at hand. As the dig went on a total of 263 finds were found, this included gold, silver, enamel, wood, glass and of course the well known Sutton Hoo helmet. Charles was able to pin point the ship burial as being Anglo-Saxon, this confirmed what Basil had originally said. In September, War was declared and the ship was reburied, but this time in a disused London Underground tunnel. They survived the Blitz, but the plans of the ship went up in flames, this meant they had to go back and investigate. 

Between 1965 and 1971 the excavations were restarted on the ship burial. They set out to find out why no body was found at the burial site. The was soon answered when chemical analysis was done on the sand in the chamber. They found that there was a high phosphate level, this meant that a body had decomposed and that due to a high acidity in the sand meant that the wood of the ship and the body had dissolved over time. 

As time went on more and more exervations were carried out on many of the other mounds in the hope of finding other finds, which they did. The founds that were found in 1959 were put on display in the British Museum after they were donated by Edith. The site is now owned by the National Trust who manage it and preserve it. Since 2019 they are training new archaeologists in the hope of discovering more of Sutton Hoo's story.

The Dig - Book 8/10 By Andrea

When I watched the film I didn't realise that it was based on a book, because I am someone who try's to read books that accompany films or TV shows I had to get the book. When first flicked through I noticed that it was written in a diary form and from three of the main people that were involved with the Dig, Edith Pretty, Basil Brown and Peggy Piggott. 

The prologue is from Basil from when he found the first artefact, it tells of the emotions he felt and what he did next. The next part of the book starts with Edith with her views and feelings of the Dig, what was happening and everything else that was going on around. It starts from when Basil is called to the house for the first time to talk about the mounds and the work that he would be undertaking. They go out to look at the site and talk about where would be the best place to start and what was making her want to do it. Its also here that we meet Robert, her only son. Robert liked to get involved with the dig and was often found helping Basil. Its also during this that Basil gets buried alive after a mound of earth falls on him while he is digging. Her part of the story ends just as the first find is found as she is summoned from the house by her son to go to the site. 

The story is then picked up with Basil, he has just found the first find of a rivet. By this point he has given up on one of the smaller mounds and had now moved on to one of the bigger ones, the one that Edith wanted to start on. It's here that we find that in the bigger mound is that of a ship burial.  His part tells of when the little dig started to get bigger and when more people from the Ipswich and British Museum started to get involved and tried to take over. The first real find of the dig was a rivet, this was said to be identical to one that was found on a dig in Snape and helped to pin down the time period that the mound was from. A coin is then found not that long after again by Basil. It's at this part of the book that we meet Mr Charles Phillips from the British Museum. From reading the book he comes across like a massive hypocrite towards Basil, with the methods that he has used and how he has been working. He come in takes over the Dig from Basil, who in a way gets pushed aside and in a way get forgotten about.

The third part of the book is from the eyes of Peggy, this was her first real bit of field work. She knew what she was doing and just got on with the job at hand and with whatever was asked of her. We meet Peggy when she is on her honeymoon with her husband Stuart Piggott, who was her lecturer. They come back early just to they can take part in the dig. When Peggy and Stuart arrive they take over the dig and transform it into a proper archaeology site. It's while they are there the first real major discoveries are found by Peggy. A piece of gold jewellery is found along with a few beads, it's after this that the finds keep coming and the idea of a burial chamber starts to prop up. We also meet Edith's nephew, Rory Lomax, who came to help out and to take the odd photograph of the dig. It was by this point that the time line of the site was coming to light and the ship was getting bigger and bigger. We are also with her when they had the sherry party that Edith organised took place and view it through her eyes. Her part of the book I would say is the biggest. 

The last few pages of the book go back to Edith and Basil. Edith is from when the inquest took place at the Village Hall, its at this point that its decided the finds belong to Edith as it is on her land and that she is going to donate the finds to the British Museum so everyone can see them. Basil's part is from after the dig had finished, he stayed on at the house to help protect the burial site and because Edith seemed to want him to stay on, what with the War coming she seemed to want some help putting things in place, like the air raid shelter. 

The epilogue is from Robert Pretty, Edith's son. He never went back to Sutton Hoo for over 20 years but had been asked if more work could be carried out on the mounds, to which he agreed to. He did return to the site during the dig, while here we learn what happened to everyone, his mother had passed away due to a health condition, Basil was still alive, Peggy had divorced Stuart and after living in Sicily for a while she was back in England. A few of the other character were still alive but a few others had sadly passed away. 

I've watched the film a few times since it has come out and now that I have read the book I have noticed that a few things are totally different. I know that films need to change things to make it more dramatic, but seeing that it's based on a true story most of it should be kept as true as possible. When I watched the film it made me feel sorry for Basil and for Peggy, he wasn't recognised for his work till recently and Peggy was portrayed as being a bit ditzy. But when read the book I can now see why Basil had a hard time and that Peggy was nothing like that at all, she knew what she was doing. 

It's worth a read if you have seen the film and want to know a a bit more, but be warned that some of it doesn't add up. It's also good if you want an introduction to the story of Sutton Hoo, this is a fictional story based on what happened during the events, but there is still a lot of information that can be useful. 

The Dig - Film

I watched the film before I read the book as Tom told me to give it a watch. I watched twice in one weekend, I watched it by myself and then with my family. Like with any book to film situation there is always a few differences and dramatic license. 

The film opens with Basil making his way over to meet Edith. He arrives at the house and she immediately takes him to see the mounds. While on the walk over he explains about his training and that he had always been keen on looking at the mounds that were on her land. Edith then explains about were her love for archaeology comes from and that her husband and her wanted to do it. She states which one she wants to start with, while Basil explains which one would be better to start with. It then goes back to the house where they discuss they pay which he turns down and leaves, not long after we met Robert, Edith's son. On the cycle back, Edith sends out a car to find Basil agreeing to the pay. 

The next scene is Basil is staying at the house and the the following is him making a start digging on the site. People from Ipswich Museum arrive just as he finds the first find and asks one of them to help him getting out from the ground, which as they do it breaks up. This then leads Basil to walk off into the forest so that he can calm down. At the house Edith is told to let Basil return to the Roman Villa dig, but she leaves it up to him to choose what he wants to do. Edith is constantly trying to get Robert to come with her to visit his fathers grave, which he declines to do every time. It's on one of these occasions that we see the War for the first time as the men in the village get ready to go. It is also here that we see Edith have the first attack with her heart issues in which the Doctor is called to the house.

That night we see Basil writing in his journal while Edith sits reading about the discovery of Tutankhamen's tomb. That morning she goes to the site, it is while they are talking that Basil is buried alive. She starts to dig by hand while calling for help, once they find him she gives him mouth to mouth before he is carried back to the house. Edith then has her second heart issue. Once back at the house she asks Basil if he saw anything while he was buried alive. Its here that Basil seems to have an apifany and rushes back to the mounds with Edith running after him. He then explains about the robbers shafts and tells Edith that he will start work on the mound that she and her husband had picked. 

The following morning Robert is up at the site asking Basil questions while he is making a start on the new mound. That night while over dinner Mrs Lyons tells Basil the story of Edith and her husband. The next day Basil is seen at Ipswich Museum asking about the Slade site and shows off a rivet that he has dug up from Sutton Woo. When he gets back to the house he shows Edith the ship that he has started to uncover and explains to Robert the time period that he suspects it to be from. The weather changes and rain threatens the site, this is when Rory Lomax arrives in the night. 

Basil's wife arrives one evening and he takes her to see the site, in which she warns him not to let anyone else take the credit for what he has found. Not long after this Edith goes to London to see a Dr who tells her that the valves around her heart are damaged and that it wont get better. Things then change at the site, Charles Phillips arrives and takes control, he even kicks Basil off the dig. He goes to leave but Robert follows after him and begs him to come back, which he does. It's when Edith goes to collect Robert that we start to see her using a walking stick. Not long after this Phillip's new team arrive in the form of Peggy and Stuart Piggott. When Peggy expresses her gratitude to Phillips she learns that because of her small size that was the main reason she was called for. When see Peggy and Stuart alone, can tell they are a bit awkward with each other and not sure what to do. 

Basil seems to take Robert under his wing and shows him the stars and tells him stories. The following morning, Peggy slips and puts her foot through into what is believed to be the burial chamber. Everyone knows that the War is coming and know that there is a rush to uncover the site. While pouring with rain it becomes obvious that Basil is looked down on because he doesn't have the training unlike the others. The following day the first major finds are found and dug up, Peggy finds a what looks like a gold bead and then goes on the find much more in the same spot. It sends everyone into a frenzy as they try to carefully dig it up. It's here that its discovered that the ship dated to the 6th century and is Anglo Saxon. 

An argument breaks out between Edith and Charles Philips, he wants to take it to the British Museum, but because of the War its being emptied. She has Basil take it to the house and has it stores somewhere safe till the inquest takes place. Stuart takes some of the rusted finds to the lab to find out what it really is, leaving Peggy alone making her start a friendship with Rory. The next day the coroner sets a date for an inquest to take place and that Edith wants to open the site up for the locals to come and look. At the same time a RAF plane flies overhead and crashes making everyone run to help, Rory obviously being the first. Sadly the pilot passed way, everyone seems to take a few days to get over what happened. Peggy and Rory share a nice moment in the forest, with coffee, round a fire late into the night. Edith's heart issues play up and is so far the worst she has been, Robert sees the state she is in and rushes out the house and bumps into Basil who gives him some advise.

On the day of the inquest, Rory receives his call up papers, Edith tells him he must not die as Robert will need him. As he leaves he bumps into Stuart and then Peggy who share an awkward moment in the door way before he walks away. Edith is hounded by the press as they exit the enquiry as they try to ask questions and take photos. A sherry party is then held in Edith's back garden with all the locals and those that took part. Before he left Rory laid out some of his photographs in the dining room, when Peggy looks at them she seems to break down and has a heart to heart with Edith. Through out the party she is asked where the finds will be put on display. After her talk with Edith, Peggy realises what she needed to do and in her own way breaks up with Stuart. 

While on the site Edith tells Basil that she is gifting the finds to the British Museum and that his work needs to be given the best recognition. Robert and Edith share a bonding moment at the site with Basil helping, at the same time Peggy and Rory have a romantic embrace before he goes away. Everyone goes their own way after the dig is over and with the War coming. The site is then prepared so that it could be recovered up so it could be kept safe while the War rages on. Just before the end credits, there is little bits of information that pop up, that tell the finds where kept in the London Underground during the War, it was 8 years after Edith's death that they went on display, Basil was never mentions at the time and it's only recently he has been recognised. The credits play out as they recover up the ship. 

Comparisons and Inaccuracies

Like with any book, film or TV show there will always be inaccuracies and comparisons, there will also be dramatic licensing. The Dig is a strange one as everything that I have read in the book has come up in the film, but not always in the right way or in the right place. For example in the film when Basil gets buried alive Edith is with him, but in the book she is back at the house. Through out the film Edith is struggling with a health issue, but in the book this only comes to light later on. Another one is that in the book we meet Peggy while she is on her honeymoon, but the film makes no show of this and we meet her at the burial site. Something that happened in both but at different times was when Rory Lomax came into it, in the book he arrived just before a sherry party that Edith held, while in the film he arrives some what near the start. I know that there will always be issues and things that don't add up and most of the time unless its massively wrong I don't let it bother me. This on the other hand is probably the best one that I have seen and read that sticks to the story. I would definitely read this book and watch the film again and would recommend it as its such a good story and as far as I can tell doesn't wonder to far from the truth. 

Comparing the book and film to the real events is somewhat hard, I haven't had the chance to read witness statements from the dig to be able to say if what the book and film say really did happen. Reading and watching The Dig has made me want to know more about the events that took place. Tom has helped me want to know more as well, with the blog that he did on Ship Burials a few months ago, had opened my mind on to the subject.