Prince under an Aldi ‘is our Tutankhamun’
Archaeologists reveal secrets about the burial chamber of a young sixth century Saxon prince
Archaeologists announced yesterday they had stumbled across “England’s Tutankhamun” during road-widening works in Essex, between an Aldi supermarket and a pub. The team of experts are now revealing the secrets of what they believe to be the earliest Christian royal tomb unearthed in the UK. Excavation of the site at Prittlewell, near Southend, discovered in 2003, has uncovered a trove of artefacts providing an unrivalled snapshot of England in the sixth century.
TUTANKHAMUN was discovered in the Valley of the Kings by a celebrated Egyptologist during an expedition funded by a peer of the realm.
But it was announced yesterday that England had an “equivalent” archaeological treasure – found during roadwidening works in Essex, between an Aldi supermarket and a pub.
Archaeologists are now revealing the secrets of what they believe to be the earliest Christian royal tomb ever unearthed in the UK.
Excavation of the site at Prittlewell, near Southend, discovered in 2003, has uncovered a trove of artefacts providing an unrivalled snapshot of Anglo-saxon England at the end of the sixth century.
The haul includes an ornate lyre, a painted box and flagon thought to have come from Syria, and gold foil crosses.
These, plus the sheer size of the chamber – 13ft by 13ft and 5ft deep – has led archaeologists at the Museum of London to conclude that the occupant was very probably royal. Many of the objects were block-lifted with the soil in which they were embedded to preserve them for future examination.
“I think it’s our equivalent of Tutankhamun’s tomb,” said Sophie Jackson, the museum’s director of research.
“The thing that’s so strange about it is that it was such an unpromising looking site. It’s between a railway and a road, essentially a verge – not where you’d expect to find it.”
Archaeologists initially thought the tomb must be that of Saebert, King of Essex, who died in AD616. But carbon dating indicates that the male died between 575 and 605, meaning the more likely candidate is Seaxa, his brother.
Fragments of tooth enamel suggest the occupant was older than six, while the size of the coffin and arrangement of items indicate he was 5ft 8in tall.
The body had been laid in a wooden coffin with a small gold foil cross over each eye. However, the human remains were too far decomposed for any DNA to be found.
It all paints a picture of a young prince who died before his prime.
“There’s a lot of debate about whether he was a fully-fledged hairy beast Saxon warrior, or younger,” said
Ms Jackson. “Had he died before he could really prove himself, as he could have been buried with more kit.”
The tomb was discovered during an archaeological survey in preparation for road-widening works. The chamber’s artefacts and remains were subsequently removed to prevent them from being stolen. Around 40 finds will go on display in the town’s Central Museum from Saturday.
It is the first time a lyre has been recorded in complete form and the box is the only surviving example of painted Anglo-saxon woodwork in Britain. Other finds included the gilded silver neck of a wooden vessel used for wine and decorative glass beakers.
The presence of artefacts from other kingdoms suggests some wealth, said Ms Jackson. The crosses also point to Christianity, even if the burial with artefacts follows a pagan tradition.
The burial occurred around the time of the Augustinian Mission, when monks from Rome led by Augustine of Canterbury were dispatched to convert the Anglo-saxons.
Ms Jackson continued: “It’s a really interesting time when Christianity is sort of creeping in and this is all possibly before Augustine sent his mission to Britain to convert the country to Christianity, so they would have been just on the transition between having pagan burials with all your gear but also having these crosses.”
The archaeologists who unearthed the tomb described it as “the most spectacular discovery of its kind made during the past 60 years”, comparing the preservation and quality of the Prittlewell chamber to the Sutton Hoo burial ship and graves, excavated in 1939.