Join Dan Snow as he explores this stunning set of discoveries in our brand new documentary ‘Digging Up the Dark Ages’ on History Hit TV.
While working on the HS2 high speed railway project in the UK, archaeologists made discoveries of national significance, uncovering a large Anglo-Saxon burial site in Wendover, Buckinghamshire. Almost three quarters of the graves found contain high quality grave goods, suggesting the site was the final resting place of a wealthy Anglo-Saxon community.
History Hit has been at the heart of this discovery, with an exclusive documentary exploring the magnificent finds. Intriguingly, the items uncovered are dated to the 5th and 6th century, a period with significant gaps in the historical and archaeological record. The site contained 138 graves, with 141 inhumation burials and 5 cremation burials – one of the largest Anglo-Saxon burial grounds ever uncovered in Britain.
The discoveries made by HS2 archaeologists will contribute a significant amount to understanding how people in Anglo-Saxon Britain lived their lives, and what culture and society was like at that time.
Up Next in Everyday Life
-
Treasures of the Royal Mint: The Edwa...
With a history stretching over 1,100 years, The Royal Mint has forged a fascinating story through the world of historic coins. As the second oldest mint in the world, and the oldest company in the UK, their history is entwined with the 61 monarchs who have ruled England and Britain.
The Royal Min... -
Life and Death in Late Iron Age Britain
Roman connections with Britain stretch back to (at least) the mid 1st century BC, but what has archaeology revealed about the Late Iron Age British societies they interacted with? Do we have any concrete evidence for the druids? Was human sacrifice a thing? Sit back and enjoy as experts provide a...
-
The Road to Rome
The Roman Empire was one of the greatest in history. At its height it stretched from northern Britain to the Persian Gulf, its might epitomised by the effectiveness of its core military unit: the Roman legion. The aqueduct, sanitation, irrigation, medicine, education, wine, public baths – all thi...
63 Comments