Anglia Television Library
The two series, 'Who Were the British' (1965) and 'The Lost Centuries' (1968), have been endorsed by both the Archaeology Data Service (ADS) and the Council for British Archaeology/BUFVC Audio-Visual Working Party (made up of senior UK academics and a range of senior archaeology film producers).
The two series are seen as reflecting the change in methodologies and approaches in archaeological discourse and they are also important for the study of the portrayal of archaeology on television. Like many programmes from the period, they have been unseen for many years.
'Who Were the British?' covers in particular the history and the impact of the Romans in Britain. 'The Lost Centuries' covers post-Roman Europe from the rise of Christianity and the influence of the later Islamic empires through to the beginning of the Renaissance. The series also explores Anglo-Saxon Britain and the expansion of the Vikings from Scandinavia into Britain.
Anglia Television played a leading role in the development of archaeology programmes, producing series with the input of eminent professors and experts of the time, in these two cases Dr Brian Hope Taylor.
For more information on Anglia Television please go to the Anglia website
Written and compiled by the British Universities Film & Video Council © BUFVC 2005
