Sonja Marzinzik – författare

This beautiful volume explores the lesser-known history of Europe and the Mediterranean, bridging the gap between the Mediterranean and the North of Europe, the Byzantine and Roman empires and the ‘barbarian’ world of the Dark Ages; a period that saw Christianity established as a major world religion as well as the rise of Islam. Drawn from all the major cultures of the period and covering an extensive geographical and chronological sweep, this richly illustrated book celebrates the artistic accomplishment of objects made from a varied and attractive array of materials such as gold, silver, precious stones, ivory, glass, ceramics and textiles. Showcased are some of the British Museum collection’s most outstanding and internationally renowned objects, including the Projecta Casket, treasures from the Sutton Hoo ship burial and the Fuller Brooch. The text reveals a fascinating insight into their makers and owners as well as the world in which they were created.

Discover the real story behind The Dig, streaming now on Netflix, starring Carey Mulligan and Ralph FiennesA warrior’s face – the strong brows inlaid with red garnets, the nose and mouth gilded and its surface tinned a silvery colour – this is how the Sutton Hoo helmet once appeared to those who saw it. Beautifully crafted and visually stunning, it would have inspired awe. But it was also fully capable of protecting its wearer in battle. This book explains how it was discovered together with other priceless treasures including a ship in the great mound at Sutton Hoo, Suffolk, by the archaeologist Basil Brown in the late 1930s. He was employed by the owner of the estate, Mrs Edith Pretty, who generously donated the whole find to the British Museum. After painstaking reconstruction, experts were able to compare this very rare helmet to the few others dating to the same period, and also to speculate for whom it might have been created. Today, some 1,400 years after it was buried, it is the centrepiece for the Sutton Hoo burial exhibit in the British Museum – a remarkable testament to Anglo- Saxon power and artistic skill.