Case Study: How has archaeology revealed Anglo-Saxon Rendlesham? An Animated video
Case Study: How has archaeology revealed Anglo-Saxon Rendlesham? An Animated video
Some projects feel less like work and more like milestones in your creative journey. For me, the Rendlesham Revealed project was exactly that!
As someone with a lifelong passion for archaeology and history, working on a heritage project had always been an ambition of mine. So, when I had the opportunity to create an animated video for Suffolk Archaeology, it connected to one of the most important Anglo-Saxon archaeological discoveries in the UK. An absolute dream!
The project centred around Rendlesham in Suffolk, a site now recognised as a hugely significant royal settlement linked to the East Anglian Kings and the wider story of Sutton Hoo. Archaeological investigations in the area have uncovered evidence of elite Anglo-Saxon life dating from the 5th to 8th centuries, helping historians and archaeologists better understand early medieval England.
What makes Rendlesham so interesting is the scale of the discoveries that were found. Excavations revealed evidence of a royal settlement, including a large timber hall and, later, a possible pre-Christian temple or cult house dating back around 1,400 years. Researchers described the findings as “rare and remarkable evidence” of the beliefs and power structures that shaped early English society.
My role on the project involved producing animated content to communicate these discoveries to wider audiences and show an example of what daily life may have looked like to the Anglo-Saxons. One of the things I love most about animation is its ability to bridge the gap between academic research and public engagement. Archaeology can sometimes feel inaccessible to people unfamiliar with the subject, but animation can make history feel visual and more relatable.
Working with archaeological material is also incredibly rewarding from a creative perspective. Every object, landscape and reconstruction has a story behind it. Rather than simply presenting information, the aim was to create something atmospheric and engaging that would transport viewers back to Anglo-Saxon Suffolk.
I started the video with illustrations to interpret what Anglo-Saxon Rendlesham may have looked like. Donna Wreathall had created an artist's impression of what a Royal Hall at Rendlesham could look like. Including Donna’s illustration in the intro of the video, the animation needed a lot more illustrations to tell the Anglo-Saxon story, so following Donna's black and white, line and dot shading illustration style, I created the other illustrations of huts, marketplace, animals, farmers, families and tradespeople for the video.
During the excavations in 2022, a royal hall of "international importance"dating back 1,400 years was discovered. This significantly changed what we already knew about the hall, so Donna returned to her original hall drawing and re-created it to what we now knew. Thus, it was a much larger, grand hall, which had to be shown accurately within the animation.
The exhibition told the story of Rendlesham over 400 years, from the 5th to the 8th centuries, and showcased more than 150 archaeological finds, many displayed publicly for the first time. The project also highlighted the role community archaeology can play, with volunteers helping uncover evidence that continues to reshape our understanding of Anglo-Saxon England.
For me personally, this project represented the perfect combination of my professional work and personal interests. As a motion designer, contributing creatively to heritage storytelling is exactly the type of work I aspire to do more of. It demonstrated how animation can support museums, heritage organisations and archaeological projects by helping audiences emotionally connect with the past.
It’s easy to think of archaeology as something static, objects behind glass in museum cabinets, but projects like Rendlesham Revealed show how dynamic and evolving the field really is. New discoveries continue to emerge, and creative media have an increasingly important role in helping share those stories with modern audiences.
Being trusted to help tell part of that story was something I’ll never forget.
The exhibition is part of the community archaeology project Rendlesham Revealed: Anglo-Saxon Life in South-East Suffolk, funded by the National Lottery.
The ‘How has Archaeology Revealed Anglo-Saxon Rendlesham?’ video was on display in the Discovery Room within Tranmer House at the National Trust’s Sutton Hoo for the Rendlesham Revealed exhibition from 23rd March - 29th October 2023.
The Discovery Room is for young people to discover and learn history, specifically the Anglo-Saxons. The video will be played on repeat, and accompanying activities, such as coin activities, writing activities, and drawing activities, will be available for children to take part in.
Also hosted on various websites by Suffolk County Council Archaeological Service, the video paired with activities will be accessible to anyone, aimed at families and schools, to help children learn about archaeology and history.
https://heritage.suffolk.gov.uk/activities
Created March 2023 by Suffolk County Council Archaeological Service for the Rendlesham Revealed community project, supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Video and animation by Emma Youell.
