Archaeology News in Suffolk
A collection of archaeological news, projects and events in Suffolk from Suffolk County Council Archaeological Service
Welcome to our e-newsletter for October 2023
Featured Projects - Rendlesham Revealed
Image: placing a brooch into the exhibition case at Sutton Hoo (© Robin Pattinson/Suffolk County Council/National Trust)
Final Week of The Rendlesham Revealed Exhibition at Sutton Hoo
The Rendlesham Revealed exhibition is currently open at National Trust Sutton Hoo until 29th October 2023.
The exhibition, curated by Suffolk County Council Archaeological Service, takes visitors on a 400 year journey revealing how the settlement at Rendlesham developed. This story is brought to life with over 150 archaeological finds from the settlement, ranging from food remains to gold jewellery, many of which have never been on public display before, on loan from Colchester and Ipswich Museums and Suffolk County Council's archaeological archives.
Do you have any comments or feedback about the Rendlesham Revealed exhibition?
The Rendlesham Revealed team would like to know if you have any feedback, comments or thoughts about the Rendlesham Revealed exhibition. We would be grateful if you could take 5 minutes to complete this short questionnaire. Your feedback is very important. By answering these questions, you can help us understand and improve the work that we do and inform future activity.Ask the Curator Blog Series: The Rendlesham Revealed Exhibition
Over the past six months, the Rendlesham Revealed team have published articles as part of the Ask the Curator blog series, which explores the research that has uncovered Anglo-Saxon Rendlesham, and showcases some star objects on display in the new Rendlesham Revealed exhibition at National Trust Sutton Hoo until 29th October 2023.
Image: Volunteers excavating in the final week at Rendlesham (© Suffolk County Council / taken by Graham Allen)
The final season of archaeological excavations at Rendlesham
The third and final season of excavations at Rendlesham are now finished, following seven weeks on-site with an incredible team of volunteers and professionals.
There have been some fantastic results, including some unexpected discoveries, which you can read about in the weekly blog series published throughout the excavation season, available on the Suffolk Heritage Explorer website.
All the excavated material was processed by volunteers on site and has been taken back to the warehouse to be finalised, catalogued and packed for specialist assessment. As such, there are no additional post-excavation volunteer sessions planned.
Although the fieldwork has finished, the Rendlesham Revealed project will continue until summer 2024 and there will be celebration event to review the project and its results. More details will be circulated next year.
Finds Recording in Suffolk
Image: Copper alloy Indian coin (© Suffolk County Council)
Featured Find - Copper-alloy Indian Coin, Combs
This coin was reported to the Suffolk Finds Recording Team in 2011, found by a local metal detector user near Combs. This coin is a copper-alloy probable half ānna minted in Bengal. In Persian script, the obverse reads ‘Shah Alam Badshah’. The reverse reads ‘senat 22 julus’ indicating that coin was issued in the 22nd year of Shah Alam II’s reign.
If you have recently found an archaeological object in Suffolk which you'd like identified and recorded, our Finds Recording Team can help. Find out more about Finds Recording here.
From the Vaults
Image: Antler inkwell being installed into the display at West Stow Anglo-Saxon Village and Museum (© Suffolk County Council))
From the Vaults: Runic Objects from Staunch Meadow, Brandon
Staunch Meadow is the site of a middle Saxon settlement (7th-9th Century AD). A gold plaque was found on the site in 1978 by a metal detectorist. The site was then excavated from 1980 to 1988. During the excavations several other runic objects and writing implements were recovered, indicating the high status and monastic importance of the settlement uncovered here.
The runic objects are now on display until 17th December 2023 at West Stow Anglo-Saxon Village and Museum, as part of the Brecks Fen Edge and Rivers Landscape Partnership project, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Objects on display include the gold plaque, on loan from The British Museum, and other runic inscribed objects from Suffolk County Council's Archaeological Archives, including an antler inkwell, silver tweezers, gilded silver pin and writing styli.
Image: Virtual exhibition screenshot (© Suffolk County Council)
Virtual Vikings - a new online exhibition
From the middle decades of the 9th century, Anglo-Saxon East Anglia was an integral part of the Viking world, which spanned the North Sea basin. In the year AD 869, the Brecks area became a focus for the Viking Great Army, which made camp in Thetford and killed the East Anglian King Edmund in battle.
The Brecks Fen Edge and Rivers Landscape Partnership project have created a virtual exhibition of 'Vikings on your Doorstep', previously on display at Ancient House Museum, which ended earlier this year.
A fascinating new addition to their website, this tour allows you to walk around the exhibition from the comfort of your home (or anywhere else), and view the exhibits, artefacts, and interpretation materials, including a number of supporting seminars and documents
Thank you for joining our e-newsletter, for those who are new, here's a brief summary of what we do.
We are the main provider of archaeological advice in Suffolk and to promote the conservation, enhancement and understanding of Suffolk's distinctive historic environment, we:
- maintain a record of archaeology and heritage assets, the Historic Environment Record
- provide advice to planners, developers and farmers
- identify and record finds made by members of the public
- curate an archive for fieldwork projects carried out in the county
- publish the results of fieldwork and other research into Suffolk's past