A tiny piece of bronze protruded from an ordinary English field in 2003; archaeologists followed it underground and uncovered a 1,400-year-old royal tomb

In 2003, archaeologists investigating a small plot of land in Prittlewell, Essex, uncovered an astonishingly well-preserved Anglo-Saxon burial chamber dating back around 1,400 years. The chamber contained a wooden coffin and an impressive collection of grave goods, including gold crosses, a gold belt buckle, a hanging bowl, drinking vessels, glass objects and a lyre. The discovery is now known as the Prittlewell princely burial and is the earliest dated Anglo-Saxon princely burial discovered in England.

How archaeologists found the Prittlewell burial

MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology) archaeologists were carrying out an archaeological evaluation at the site ahead of a proposed road-widening scheme. Roman and Anglo-Saxon burials had previously been found in the area.

On the first day, archaeologists identified a large square pit containing what appeared to be the remains of a timber lining, as per a Southend Museums report. The following day, they found a copper-alloy hanging bowl still suspended from a hook on what appeared to be a chamber wall. That discovery confirmed that the pit contained a timber-lined burial chamber.


Further excavation revealed a wooden coffin surrounded by a remarkable collection of objects. The size of the chamber and the quality and quantity of its contents showed that the man buried there had been a person of very high status. Archaeologists describe the occupant as a man of princely or aristocratic lineage.

Gold crosses point to a Christian prince

Two small gold foil crosses were found at the head end of the coffin.

Their position suggests that they may have been placed over the eyes of the deceased. The crosses indicate that the man was Christian.

Southend Museums describes Prittlewell as the earliest Anglo-Saxon Christian burial discovered in England, making the find important evidence for the presence of Christianity among high-status Anglo-Saxons at this early date.

The chamber also contained objects that reveal connections extending well beyond England. Among them were a Byzantine flagon and basin, an ornate drinking horn, coloured glass vessels and a lyre.

Southend Museums says the copper-alloy flagon was probably acquired by a pilgrim visiting the shrine of St Sergius in Syria before being traded until it reached England.

Scientific dating placed the burial around AD 580–605

Researchers used several forms of evidence to establish when the burial took place.

Radiocarbon dating produced a calibrated range of AD 575–605. Two gold Frankish coins found in the chamber provided additional dating evidence and ruled out a burial before about AD 580.

That makes Prittlewell the earliest dated Anglo-Saxon princely burial in England. Research also suggests an 80% probability that the burial predates St Augustine's mission from Rome in AD 597, as per a Current Archaeology report.

The discovery does not mean Christianity began in England with this burial. Christianity was already present in parts of England, including among some ruling families. Instead, the Prittlewell chamber provides evidence that this particular high-status individual was Christian at a very early stage of Anglo-Saxon England.

The identity of the man remains a mystery

The richness of the chamber initially led archaeologists to consider whether the burial might have belonged to Sæberht, the Christian king of Essex who died around AD 616. Later scientific dating ruled that out because the burial is too early.

Researchers can establish that the occupant was a man of princely or aristocratic lineage, but his exact identity remains unknown.

One possibility is that he was related to Sæberht, perhaps his brother Seaxa, although this has never been established.

Only fragments of tooth enamel survived from the individual. MOLA says these were the only surviving human remains and could not provide DNA evidence that would identify him.

More than 40 experts studied the burial

The discovery was followed by more than 15 years of specialist research involving more than 40 archaeological experts.

Researchers used techniques including soil micromorphology, CT scans, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and mass spectrometry to investigate the burial chamber and its objects, as per the MOLA report.

Their work helped researchers reconstruct the chamber, study its contents and learn more about the man buried there.

What began as an archaeological investigation in a small plot of land ultimately revealed an early Anglo-Saxon princely burial, offering a rare glimpse into the wealth, beliefs and connections of an elite man who lived around 1,400 years ago.