History, the study of the past, is often interesting simply as a narrative of past events; however, beyond that human interest aspect, the study of the past helps us better to understand our present and what it means.

A good example of both these approaches may be found as a result of the Sutton Hoo treasure trove, unearthed from a burial mound in Sussex, England, in 1939.

The treasure, dating from the Anglo-Saxon period, was interred with the body of an important person, perhaps a king, in a boat.

On the simply narrative level, it revealed both the burial practice of the time, prompted some understanding of the religious belief of the people, and, above all, indicated that it came from a considerably advanced civilization.

The intricate ornamentation of the relics, their provenance from a far-flung number of sources, and their amazing beauty revealed that the period from which they came was a time of advanced civilization. In other words, the so-called “Dark Ages,” often thought of as a merely barbarous and uncivilized time, were not nearly as dark as had been imagined.

This realization, prompted by the treasure, also led to a realization of the evanescence of things. In fact, this was in large measure the conclusion to which Sir Kenneth Clark came in his brilliant Civilisation television series of 1969. In its treatment of the Sutton Hoo treasure, he pointed out that civilization is indeed a fragile thing – that it can be transient and always liable to almost complete destruction. I was reminded of this when watching The Dig on Netflix.

The Dig is a film ostensibly about the archaeological discovery itself. It comes with impeccable credentials, starring as it does the brilliant actors Carey Mulligan and Ralph Fiennes (who both live up to expectations) and directed by John Preston. All is well to begin with as the film shows a wealthy landowner, Edith Pretty, in Sussex engaging an excavator, Basil Brown, to search one of the large earth mounds on her estate.

Pretty suspects that there may well be treasure buried under at least one of the mounds and is willing to trust the task of excavating the mounds to Brown, even though he is academically not a fully qualified archaeologist, though a man of considerable experience.

On this level the film offers another example of history being an interesting narrative of the past. Even though all of this is rather what one might expect, warning lights begin to flash early in the film, which is based on what would appear to be a highly fictionalized account of the events.

Whatever else it may be, The Dig is not valid history. For example, Edith Pretty was actually in her fifties when she embarked on the venture – some 20 years older than Mulligan who portrays her.

Once Brown actually uncovers the remains of a Viking boat, the film dramatically changes course, completely throwing historicity to the winds. For example, in a jumble of plots there is one in which a woman excavator, Peggy Preston, is presented as incompetent and clumsy, as well as being involved in a decidedly unhappy marriage.

In fact, Preston was a highly respected and experienced excavator who did considerable, valuable work at Sutton Hoo.

Pretty herself is shown as on the verge of death from a serious heart condition, and hints of a budding romantic relationship between her and Brown have no basis in reality. Of course Pretty’s son, portrayed as a young boy attempting to cope with the realities of life, death, and the infinity of the cosmos, was far older when the dig took place.

The fact that the dig took place as Britain was entering the Second World War further emphasizes another aspect of the study of history. As Kenneth Clark suggested, the story of the Sutton Hoo excavation prompts reflection on the mutability of things. Indeed, this seems to be the main purpose of the several, largely invented, sub-plots presented in the film. 

This may seem to be all to the good, but the devil lies in the details. The narrative unrolls at such a slow pace that one is likely to lose interest – even in the dig itself. While the film seems mainly intended to provide a meditation on the transience of life, which many may find both challenging and intriguing, some may find its mélange of narrative threads, each of them a variation on the theme of transience, to be little more than a confusing muddle.

That it does provide thought about the significance of what we as humans undertake is fully in line with Kenneth Clark’s assessment of the “Dark Ages.” Just because there are in Europe no remains of anything like a well-built permanent structure from the period, this clearly does not mean it was without its accomplishments.

However, The Dig almost loses sight of what was actually unearthed at Sutton Hoo, and although it gives hints of the historical event, it ultimately settles for the rather trite observation that humans, after their brief earthly existence, an existence which is often emotionally complex, are known only by the things they leave behind.

As an account of the Sutton Hoo excavation, The Dig really fails to live up to the task. To really find out about the reality, a visit to the British Museum is in order. It presents a fascinating and informative account of the excavation, while at the same time allowing one to marvel at the treasures that were brought to light.