Royal saxon tomb in Prittlewell
Encyclopedia
The Royal Saxon tomb in Prittlewell is a high-status Anglo-Saxon
tomb excavated at Prittlewell
, north of Southend-on-Sea
, in the English
county of Essex
.
In the autumn of 2003, in preparation for a road-widening scheme, an archaeological survey was carried out on a plot of land to the north-east of Priory Park
in Prittlewell
. The archaeologists were lucky in the placement of their trench and uncovered a set of Saxon
remains.
Archaeologists from the Museum of London
Archaeology Service, under the supervision of Atkins Ltd, excavated the site and discovered an undisturbed 7th century chamber grave beneath a mound. They described it as "the most spectacular discovery of its kind made during the past 60 years". Earlier excavations had indicated Saxon burials in the area however it was not expected to make such a significant find.
The quality and preservation of the Prittlewell Chamber Tomb has led to inevitable comparisons with the Sutton Hoo
Ship Burial and associated graves. The artefacts found were of a quality that it is likely that Prittlewell was a tomb of one of the Kings of Essex and the discovery of golden foil crosses indicates that the inhabitant was an early Christian
.
, gold
, silver
and iron
. These finds included an Anglo-Saxon hanging bowl
, decorated with inlaid escutcheons and a cruciform arrangement of applied strips, a folding stool, three stave-built tubs or buckets with iron bands, a sword and a lyre, the last one of the most complete found in Britain. The tomb itself is 4 metres (13.1 ft) square, the largest chambered tomb ever discovered in England. The chamber had gradually collapsed and filled with soil as its containing wooden supports decayed.
About 110 objects were lifted by conservators in two phases, over a period of ten days. The final lift was completed on 20 December 2003, with final defining of the chamber walls and backfilling continuing for three days after.
The inventory of grave goods is comparable to one found in a burial at Taplow
in 1883, and though the overall collection is less sumptuous than that from the ship-burial in Mound 1 at Sutton Hoo, many individual objects are closely comparable and of similar quality. For example, there is a hollow gold belt buckle, but much plainer than that from Sutton Hoo, but the lyre
s, drinking vessels, and copper-alloy shoe buckles are very similar. As at Sutton Hoo, the best hope for closely dating the burial is the Merovingian gold coins, however the dating of these is a complicated matter, based on their metallic content rather than the design and information stamped on them. Research continues on this as on other aspects of the find, but the evidence initially suggests a date in the period 600-650, or 600-630. There is an object identified as a "standard", as at Sutton Hoo, but of a different type, and there is a folding stool of a type often seen in royal portraits in Early Medieval manuscripts that is a unique find in England, and was probably imported.
The acidic sandy soil had completely dissolved the body's bones, and any other bone in the tomb, but some pieces of his teeth were found, but too far affected by decay for DNA
to be found in them. The body had been laid in a wooden coffin, with two small gold foil crosses, one over each eye. One opinion was that he had been laid in the coffin by Christians, and that the coffin had been then buried by pagans.
Some of the objects were lifted together with a block of soil that it was embedded in.
The design of the lyre
was reconstructed from soil impressions and surviving metal pieces. There was evidence that it had been repaired at least once. A copy of it was made, in yew
wood, and was played to accompany a funeral song sung for King Sǣberht in Anglo-Saxon and English in a church in Southend.
(died 616 AD) or Sigeberht II the Good
(murdered 653 AD), who are the two East Saxon Kings known to have converted to Christianity during this period. As the evidence points to an early seventh century date, Saebert is considered more likely. It is, however, also possible that the occupant is of some other wealthy and powerful individual whose identity has gone unrecorded. In the mean time, the occupant has acquired the popular nickname of the "King of Bling", in reference to the rich grave goods and the supposed tastes of modern inhabitants of Essex.
From September 2005 to July 2009 the site was occupied by a road protest
camp known locally as Camp Bling
.
Funding for a reduced road scheme at Cuckoo Corner includes provision for post-excavation work at the tomb.
An episode of Channel 4
's Time Team
series devoted to Prittlewell was first broadcast on 13 June 2005, and replayed later.
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
tomb excavated at Prittlewell
Prittlewell
Prittlewell is an area of Southend-on-Sea in Essex. Historically, Prittlewell is the original town, Southend being the south end of Prittlewell.Originally a Saxon village, Prittlewell is centred on St...
, north of Southend-on-Sea
Southend-on-Sea
Southend-on-Sea is a unitary authority area, town, and seaside resort in Essex, England. The district has Borough status, and comprises the towns of Chalkwell, Eastwood, Leigh-on-Sea, North Shoebury, Prittlewell, Shoeburyness, Southchurch, Thorpe Bay, and Westcliff-on-Sea. The district is situated...
, in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county of Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
.
In the autumn of 2003, in preparation for a road-widening scheme, an archaeological survey was carried out on a plot of land to the north-east of Priory Park
Priory Park, Southend-on-Sea
Priory Park is a public park situated in Prittlewell, Southend-on-Sea, England, adjacent to Prittlewell Priory.-External links:...
in Prittlewell
Prittlewell
Prittlewell is an area of Southend-on-Sea in Essex. Historically, Prittlewell is the original town, Southend being the south end of Prittlewell.Originally a Saxon village, Prittlewell is centred on St...
. The archaeologists were lucky in the placement of their trench and uncovered a set of Saxon
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
remains.
Archaeologists from the Museum of London
Museum of London
The Museum of London documents the history of London from the Prehistoric to the present day. The museum is located close to the Barbican Centre, as part of the striking Barbican complex of buildings created in the 1960s and 70s as an innovative approach to re-development within a bomb damaged...
Archaeology Service, under the supervision of Atkins Ltd, excavated the site and discovered an undisturbed 7th century chamber grave beneath a mound. They described it as "the most spectacular discovery of its kind made during the past 60 years". Earlier excavations had indicated Saxon burials in the area however it was not expected to make such a significant find.
The quality and preservation of the Prittlewell Chamber Tomb has led to inevitable comparisons with the Sutton Hoo
Sutton Hoo
Sutton Hoo, near to Woodbridge, in the English county of Suffolk, is the site of two 6th and early 7th century cemeteries. One contained an undisturbed ship burial including a wealth of Anglo-Saxon artefacts of outstanding art-historical and archaeological significance, now held in the British...
Ship Burial and associated graves. The artefacts found were of a quality that it is likely that Prittlewell was a tomb of one of the Kings of Essex and the discovery of golden foil crosses indicates that the inhabitant was an early Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
.
The tomb and artefacts
Excavation demonstrated the tomb to be a deep, formerly walled room full of objects of copperCopper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
, gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
, silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
and iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
. These finds included an Anglo-Saxon hanging bowl
Hanging bowl
Hanging bowls are a distinctive type of artifact of the period between the end of Roman rule in Britain in c. 410 AD and the emergence of the Christian Anglo-Saxon kingdoms during the 7th century...
, decorated with inlaid escutcheons and a cruciform arrangement of applied strips, a folding stool, three stave-built tubs or buckets with iron bands, a sword and a lyre, the last one of the most complete found in Britain. The tomb itself is 4 metres (13.1 ft) square, the largest chambered tomb ever discovered in England. The chamber had gradually collapsed and filled with soil as its containing wooden supports decayed.
About 110 objects were lifted by conservators in two phases, over a period of ten days. The final lift was completed on 20 December 2003, with final defining of the chamber walls and backfilling continuing for three days after.
The inventory of grave goods is comparable to one found in a burial at Taplow
Taplow
Taplow is a village and civil parish within South Bucks district in Buckinghamshire, England. It sits on the east bank of the River Thames facing Maidenhead on the opposite bank. Taplow railway station is situated near the A4 south of the village....
in 1883, and though the overall collection is less sumptuous than that from the ship-burial in Mound 1 at Sutton Hoo, many individual objects are closely comparable and of similar quality. For example, there is a hollow gold belt buckle, but much plainer than that from Sutton Hoo, but the lyre
Lyre
The lyre is a stringed musical instrument known for its use in Greek classical antiquity and later. The word comes from the Greek "λύρα" and the earliest reference to the word is the Mycenaean Greek ru-ra-ta-e, meaning "lyrists", written in Linear B syllabic script...
s, drinking vessels, and copper-alloy shoe buckles are very similar. As at Sutton Hoo, the best hope for closely dating the burial is the Merovingian gold coins, however the dating of these is a complicated matter, based on their metallic content rather than the design and information stamped on them. Research continues on this as on other aspects of the find, but the evidence initially suggests a date in the period 600-650, or 600-630. There is an object identified as a "standard", as at Sutton Hoo, but of a different type, and there is a folding stool of a type often seen in royal portraits in Early Medieval manuscripts that is a unique find in England, and was probably imported.
The acidic sandy soil had completely dissolved the body's bones, and any other bone in the tomb, but some pieces of his teeth were found, but too far affected by decay for DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
to be found in them. The body had been laid in a wooden coffin, with two small gold foil crosses, one over each eye. One opinion was that he had been laid in the coffin by Christians, and that the coffin had been then buried by pagans.
Some of the objects were lifted together with a block of soil that it was embedded in.
The design of the lyre
Lyre
The lyre is a stringed musical instrument known for its use in Greek classical antiquity and later. The word comes from the Greek "λύρα" and the earliest reference to the word is the Mycenaean Greek ru-ra-ta-e, meaning "lyrists", written in Linear B syllabic script...
was reconstructed from soil impressions and surviving metal pieces. There was evidence that it had been repaired at least once. A copy of it was made, in yew
Taxus baccata
Taxus baccata is a conifer native to western, central and southern Europe, northwest Africa, northern Iran and southwest Asia. It is the tree originally known as yew, though with other related trees becoming known, it may be now known as the English yew, or European yew.-Description:It is a small-...
wood, and was played to accompany a funeral song sung for King Sǣberht in Anglo-Saxon and English in a church in Southend.
Theories about occupant
The quality of the locally made objects, and the presence of imported luxury items such as the Coptic bowl and flagon, appear to point to a royal burial. The most obvious candidates are either SaebertSaebert of Essex
Sæberht, Saberht or Sæbert was a King of Essex , in succession of his father King Sledd. He is known as the first East Saxon king to have been converted to Christianity....
(died 616 AD) or Sigeberht II the Good
Sigeberht II of Essex
Sigeberht II, nicknamed the Good or the Blessed , was King of the East Saxons , in succession to his relative Sigeberht I the Little...
(murdered 653 AD), who are the two East Saxon Kings known to have converted to Christianity during this period. As the evidence points to an early seventh century date, Saebert is considered more likely. It is, however, also possible that the occupant is of some other wealthy and powerful individual whose identity has gone unrecorded. In the mean time, the occupant has acquired the popular nickname of the "King of Bling", in reference to the rich grave goods and the supposed tastes of modern inhabitants of Essex.
Post-excavation events
Southend Borough Council faced criticism due to plans to continue with the already controversial road widening scheme - covering the site. The council has, however, promised to find a home for the finds, in order to keep them in the borough and it has been suggested that a new gallery will be created at Southend Museum for their display. The project was the winner of the Developer Funded Archaeology Award as part of the British Archaeological Awards for 2006.From September 2005 to July 2009 the site was occupied by a road protest
Road protest (UK)
Road protest in the United Kingdom usually occurs as a reaction to a stated intention by the empowered authorities to build a new road, or to modify an existing road. Protests may also be made by those wishing to see new roads built or improvements made to existing roads. Motivations for protests...
camp known locally as Camp Bling
Camp Bling
Camp Bling, the long running UK based road protest camp was set up in Southend-on-Sea in Essex during September 2005 to obstruct a £25m plan to widen the Priory Crescent section of the A1159 road over the Royal Saxon tomb in Prittlewell...
.
Funding for a reduced road scheme at Cuckoo Corner includes provision for post-excavation work at the tomb.
An episode of Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
's Time Team
Time Team
Time Team is a British television series which has been aired on Channel 4 since 1994. Created by television producer Tim Taylor and presented by actor Tony Robinson, each episode features a team of specialists carrying out an archaeological dig over a period of three days, with Robinson explaining...
series devoted to Prittlewell was first broadcast on 13 June 2005, and replayed later.