London: British Museum

Ever have the experience of reading a book at just the right time? A couple of months ago I read "Girl in the Blue Coat" as I was traveling to Amsterdam. I was literally reading about places I was seeing in person. This trip I read "The Dig," a book about the 1939 Sutton Hoo excavation which was later turned into a movie readily available on Netflix.

As we looked at the artifacts on display at the British Museum, I was having flashbacks to the book. I had just reached the courtroom scene where they are deciding who owns the treasures found at Sutton Hoo: Edith Pretty (the owner of the property) or Britain (because they are national treasures). The case hinged on the intent of what was found: did the person who left it behind intend to return to claim it later? I noted the artifacts were donated by Edith Pretty before I reached the part in the book where she won the case because the items were part of a burial chamber therefore there was no intention to return to claim the items.

The trip to the British museum was a consolation prize of sorts. I had wanted to go to Sutton Hoo to see the site of the archaeological dig our friend Dan participated in a couple of summers ago. When I first looked into the trip it seemed like a two hour trip from London, but when I plugged in the date we were going (a Saturday) from the place where we were staying it became a four hour trip involving four different transfers each way. I couldn't justify it. Going mid-week would mean only seeing the grounds and not being able to get inside the museum because it is January.

Not long before the courtroom scene, archaeologist Peggy Piggott found two garnet encrusted pyramids. The narrator for the audio introduction to the room said they were her favorite artifact on display. I searched until I found them. It was as if the book was coming to life. I knew the museum had the real helmet found (as well as a replica), a series of silver bowls, and a part of a bucket, but the pyramids were something I had just learned about the day before our visit. It was surreal mixing the past with the present. I gave Edith Pretty a silent cheer for winning her case, later I read she wasn't that excited about winning it.

As for the rest of the museum, I found a guide for if you only have one hour, see these items. They guide had a picture, listed the room, and gave a high level listing of why the item matters. Items included the Rosetta Stone, Parthenon sculptures, bust of Ramsses the Great, the Ife head, statue of Tara, Aztec serpent, a mummy, a game, the Sutton Hoo treasures, and the Lewis Chessmen. With the treasures spread out, we had the chance to admire other pieces, but this kept us focused. 

Sutton Hoo treasures:

A purse clasp

Replica

The original

Featured in the highlights tour (or caught my eye):