Prittlewell princely burial secrets revealed in new research

Editor News

MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology) [Alliance member] has published two new books with research revealing previously hidden insights into the Prittlewell princely burial and the Saxon man buried.

In 2003 MOLA archaeologists excavated a small plot of land in Prittlewell, Essex. They discovered an astonishingly well-preserved burial chamber adorned with rare and precious objects; however, many of the burial chamber’s secrets lay concealed beneath centuries of earth and corrosion and have only been revealed now.

The research, led by MOLA and funded by Southend-on-Sea Borough Council and Historic England, explores the internationally significant collection, including hitherto unidentified artefacts from the Anglo-Saxon princely burial chamber.

Over 40 leading experts in a range of specialisms, including Anglo-Saxon art and artefacts, ancient musical instruments, ancient woodworking, engineering, soil science and scientific dating undertook the research, in their quest to reconstruct and understand the chamber as it would have been on the day of the burial and recover crucial evidence to date the burial.

Read more about the findings here.