Our historians are often called upon to provide their expertise and props for television, having previously participated in the likes of “Horrible Histories”and “Hannibal’s Elephant Army” to name a few.
And we’re delighted to say that we still haven’t scared off any television executives just yet, with our historian Ian Weston taking part in the filming for BBC Four’s brand new archaeological documentary “Raiders of the Lost Past with Janina Ramirez.”
Ghostly Saxon Warriors
Using props and costumes you’ll see in our Saxon history workshops, Ian and others played the ghosts of Saxon warriors from the original tale of the discovery of Sutton Hoo. The owner of the property at the time, Edith Pretty claimed that one evening she’d seen ghostly warrior figures from the window of her house. She would call upon a local excavator, Basil Brown from a museum in nearby Ipswich to begin excavating her land. Basil’s subsequently remarkable findings rapidly altered our understanding of Saxon Britain as we know it.
“A good friend of Portals To The Past even provided the programme with the helmet in the image above, one of the country’s most authentic Saxon replica helmets!”
Raiders of the Lost Past
“Raiders of the Lost Past”and Dr Janina Ramirez follow this journey and those of the remarkable pre-war explorers and archaeologists. From the story of the Sutton Hoo hoard to the glamorous husband-and-wife team of explorers who headed deep into the Mexican jungle in search of the Olmec Heads. Dr Ramirez discovers not just the ancient treasures of bygone explorers, but the links to how the societies we live in today were born.
Tune in to the first episode of “Raiders of the Lost Past with Janina Ramirez.” at 9pm 4th September on BBC Four.
Image source – https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0008567