Chris and Mary Mackie
Chris's main current interest is the 'dig' at Sedgeford. On a field long-known as 'the Boneyard', a team of archaeologists has been engaged in excavation work every summer since 1996. This area of Norfolk is rich in archaeological material and especially in gold coin hordes and the magnificent torcs (neck ornaments from the Iron Age) which seem peculiar to this county
Chris has been involved with the Sedgeford Historical and Archaeological Research Project (SHARP) since the beginning and presently handles the media side of publicity. The pictures on this page show some of the treasures they have unearthed, along with nearly three hundred skeletons from a mid-Saxon Christian burial ground. For all the details, visit the main website at SHARP.org.uk.
Chris is also current publicity officer (and active member in other ways) for the Princess Theatre Club, he enjoys broadcasting and has appeared on radio many times and on TV quite a lot too, notably the Richard and Judy show where, as friends remarked, he 'Mackied' the pair of them.
The SHARP team hard at it. Chris in light shorts.
Skeleton of a horse, ritually buried in the Iron Age
Broken end of a gold torc, now reunited in the
British Museum with the rest of the necklet, found forty years ago!
An ancient gold coin, rather worn
One of a horde of thirty-nine gold coins buried
200 years ago inside a cow-bone. Note stylized horse motif. The
Iceni tribe of Norfolk (Boudicca's people) are thought to have
revered the horse as their totem animal
Chris with torc terminal, found by one of the SHARP team with a metal detector
The find on its way to London, safe in a 'cool box'
Behind the scenes at the British Museum, Chris with Dr J D Hill (left)
Official hand-over of the torc terminal
Dr J D Hill and CM
The badly broken torc awaiting its missing terminal
The glorious torc found with many others at Snettisham, only a few miles from Sedgeford
Wet day at the 'dig'