It had been suggested the remains were those of Saebert, Saxon king of Essex from AD604 to AD616 but carbon dating and other tests have indicated the tomb was constructed between AD575 and AD605 - at least 11 years before his death.<doc-sep>It was the week when Starbucks gatecrashed Westeros. No sooner had a coffee cup made a rogue appearance in the most recent episode of Game of Thrones than it was flaring across the internet and launching a thousand memes. Everyone loves a blooper in a big-budget television show, of course — but the schadenfreude that greeted the Winterfell latte had a particular piquancy. The incongruity was all. Few things are more bathetically removed from a world of drinking horns and dragons than a coffee to go. Then it was the turn of Prittlewell, a town near Southend in Essex, to join the party. On Thursday details were revealed of an Anglo-Saxon tomb that had originally been discovered 16 years earlier on a verge beside a<doc-sep>A royal burial site found beneath a roadside verge in Essex has been dubbed one of the most significant archaeological finds ever made in England. Discovered between a pub and an Aldi supermarket, it is thought to be the burial chamber of the brother of Anglo-Saxon King Saebert. Researchers behind the find have hailed it as the 'British equivalent of Tutankhamun's tomb' - despite little similarities in appearance. Belying its unglamorous location, inside the chamber are 40 artefacts thought to have belonged to the ancient Essex prince Saexa. The Anglo-Saxons were Pagans, but the Christian items found in the chamber suggest the religion was still important in England 1,400 years ago. It is the earliest Christian Anglo-Saxon princely burial found in the UK, according to experts from the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA). Royal families emerged in Anglo-Saxon times in Kent, Essex and across south-east England. Saebert and Seaxa's mother was from the Kentish royal family, but their maternal aunt, Bertha, was a French princess who married into their royal family and brought her Christian beliefs with her. That may explain the gold crosses on the prince's eyes and the coins in the chamber, which are clearly Christian, while the very idea of a burial chamber is Pagan. The researchers say the site represents a 'transitional moment' in this country's history before Christianity took over. Scroll down for video It is thought to be the burial chamber of the brother of Anglo-Saxon King Saebert, Saexa, who died between 575AD and 605AD. Artist's impression of the chamber A royal burial site found beneath a roadside verge in Essex has been named one of the most significant archaeological finds ever made in England. Pictured: Conservator Claire Reed, inspecting the remains of a wooden drinking vessel with a decorated gold neck found inside Experts are fascinated by this time in English history as Anglo-Saxon kingdoms were emerging, with separate royal families in different parts of the country. The name Essex comes from the East Saxon families which ruled over this part of England. Just like Tutankhamun's famous tomb in Egypt, it is completely intact, with looters and 19th Century amateur archaeologists having been unable to find it as the mound on top of it collapsed. Sophie Jackson, director of research for MOLA, which was involved in studying the chamber, said: 'This is one of the most significant archaeological finds ever seen in England. 'It is the British equivalent of Tutankhamun's tomb as everything in it is just as it was left 1,400 years ago. 'It was found on an unpromising site, which is just really a grass verge, but this is an aristocratic burial site and the artefacts provide a great insight into religious life at the time.' Despite its unglamorous location, inside the chamber are 40 artefacts thought to have belonged to the ancient Essex prince Saexa. Pictured: Conservator Claire Reed, inspecting a decorated blue glass beaker which was discovered in the burial chamber The chamber discovered the Essex town of Prittlewell contains nothing of the prince thought to be buried there except some enamel fragments from his teeth. Pictured: Remains of the only surviving example of painted Anglo-Saxon woodwork in Britain The Anglo-Saxons were Pagans, but the Christian items found in the chamber suggest the religion was still important in England 1,400 years ago. Pictured: A gold belt buckle discovered in the burial chamber WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE BURIAL SITE? The Essex site is the earliest Anglo-Saxon royal burial chamber found in England. First thought to hold Anglo-Saxon King Saebert, it is now believed it could be the resting place of his brother, Prince Saexa. Just like Tutankhamun's tomb, the chamber was found completely intact, as it would have looked when the prince was buried 1,400 years ago. Gold crosses covering the body's eyes and on the coins in its hands show this was a Christian burial, but Anglo-Saxons at this early date were famously Pagans. For the first time, this suggests Christianity was important in southern England before the arrival of Augustine from Italy, who came to convert us. The chamber would have taken up to 25 men almost five days to build, using the wood from 13 oak trees. So much effort indicates a royal was buried inside, with 40 artefacts to take with him to the afterlife. Radiocarbon dating of a horn drinking cup and minted coins show the prince was probably buried between 580 and 605AD. Advertisement The chamber discovered the Essex town of Prittlewell contains nothing of the prince thought to be buried there except some enamel fragments from his teeth, which show he was older than six. But two gold foil crosses, thought to have been placed over his eyes, a gold belt buckle and shoe buckles suggest he was a man or teenager around five feet eight inches tall. The burial site was found by archaeologists in 2003 before the road it lies on was widened. Experts have spent 15 year excavating the chamber - which MOLA says took 113 working days to build and involved a huge investment in skilled labour and materials - to recreate what it may have looked like inside. Its age is now known for the first time, based on radiocarbon dating of a drinking horn in the chamber and coins buried with the body which bear the name of the mint in France they come from and were only produced after 580AD. The date of the chamber, now known to be between 580AD and 605AD, rules out that it contained King Saebert, as previously thought. Experts now believe his brother, Prince Saexa, was the one given such a grand send-off. Experts are fascinated by this time in English history as Anglo-Saxon kingdoms were emerging, with separate royal families in different parts of the country. Pictured: Conservator Claire Reed, inspecting decorated blue and green glass beakers discovered in the chamber The name Essex comes from the East Saxon families which ruled over this part of England. Researchers behind the find have hailed it as the 'British equivalent of Tutankhamun's tomb' - despite little similarities in appearance.<doc-sep>An archaeologist carefully excavates the Prittlewell burial chamber. The chamber was discovered in 2003; it has taken researchers 16 years to carefully remove, clean and analyze the artifacts. Many will now be on permanent display at the Southend Central Museum in Southend-on-Sea, England. The tomb of an Anglo-Saxon prince has revealed treasures such as a decorated lyre, painted woodwork and a gold belt buckle. The treasure-laden tomb is the first known Christian burial of an Anglo-Saxon. The tomb dates back about 1,400 years and can be explored virtually. The identity of the man buried in the tomb is unknown. Archaeologists believe he may have been a relative of King Saebert, the first known East Saxon king to have converted to Christianity, who died in A.D. 616. Regardless of the man's identity, his grave goods indicate that he was aristocratic. [In Photos: Stunning Treasures from the Burial of an Anglo-Saxon Prince] "The range of exquisite objects discovered here, now around 1,400 years old and some of them representing the only surviving examples of their kind, are giving us an extraordinary insight into early Anglo-Saxon craftsmanship and culture," Duncan Wilson, the chief executive of Historic England, the agency tasked with preserving cultural sites around England, said in a statement. A Christian prince Historic England helped fund research into the tomb, which was discovered in 2003 near Prittlewell, Essex. The excavations, led by the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA), gradually revealed an elaborate burial chamber. The centerpoint was an ash-wood coffin with iron fittings, of which only the metal pieces and a few wood fragments still survive. Little is left of the deceased beyond a few fragments of tooth enamel, which revealed only that the person buried in the tomb was older than age 6. However, the size of the coffin and the placement of belt buckles and other metallic fittings on the deceased's clothing put his height at about 5 feet 8 inches (1.73 meters) tall. From that height and the type of objects found around the coffin, archaeologists gauge that the tomb was built for an adolescent or adult man. Near the head of the coffin, archaeologists found two thin gold-foil crosses, which were likely placed over the eyes of the dead man, indicating his Christianity. A triangular belt buckle made of gold would have fastened a belt around the man's waist. Two gold coins were found where the corpse's hands would have been, suggesting the man was buried clutching one in each hand. At the head of the coffin, archaeologists found the remnants of a folding iron stool, which may have been a "gifstol," a seat from which a ruler would dispense rewards or rest while settling disputes among his followers. At the foot of the coffin was a cauldron 2 feet (0.6 m) in diameter. A reconstruction of what the tomb might have looked like when the Anglo-Saxon prince died. (Image credit: MOLA) Worldly riches Other items placed around the chamber included drinking horns, cups, bottles, buckets and beautiful blue glass beakers. A copper-alloy flagon was decorated with medallions bearing the image of St. Sergius, a fourth-century Roman Christian soldier said to have been martyred for his faith. The flagon, a basin and a silver spoon all came from the Eastern Mediterranean, according to MOLA, and garnets found in the tomb came from India, indicating wide-ranging trade in this era. A horn-handled sword in a leather-and-wood scabbard marked the tomb's occupant as male and wealthy. A shield, two spears and an arrow were hung on the tomb's south wall. Finally, researchers found the first ever complete remains of an Anglo-Saxon lyre. The instrument had mostly decayed, but stains on the soil revealed its shape and held chemical traces that showed the lyre to be made of maple. The lyre had once split but been repaired with iron, silver and gilded copper-alloy fittings. Many of the artifacts are going on display at Southend Central Museum in Southend-on-Sea, England, on Saturday (May 11). The Southend-on-Sea Borough Council co-funded the excavations and research. “The long-awaited return of the Prittlewell princely burial collection is a hugely exciting and significant moment for Southend Museums Service and the town,” museum curatorial manager Ciara Phipps said in the statement. “The finds, now on permanent display at Southend Central Museum, highlight the richness of this community’s heritage and have deepened our understanding of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Essex.” Originally published on Live Science.<doc-sep>
Royal burial site discovered in Southend hailed as the UK's "equivalent of Tutankhamun's tomb" A royal burial site discovered in Southend is being hailed as the UK's "equivalent of Tutankhamun's tomb." The find was made during widening work on a section of road in Prittlewell in 2003. The Museum of London Archaeology have been analysing artefacts from the chamber dating back 14-hundred years and say it is the earliest dated Christian Anglo-Saxon princely burial in the country. Sophie Jackson, director of research and engagement for Mola said "I think it's our equivalent of Tutankhamun's tomb," she said. "It's getting an intact version of this and seeing how everything is positioned and what he's got with him." She told Heart "It's decorated with gemstones that come from Sri Lanka or Southern India indicating just how... connected Essex was in those days. "These are the only sort of burial chambers that we have in this country, where high status individuals, princes and kings, were buried with all their most important artefacts which spoke of who they were... what their responsibilities were." Carbon dating indicated that the male died between 575AD and 605AD, so could not have been King Saebert, who died in 616AD. The chamber, which was about 13ft (4m) by 13ft (4m) and around 5ft (1.5m) deep, contained some 40 artefacts, including a lyre (a stringed musical instrument), a 1,400-year-old painted wooden box, and a flagon believed to be from Syria. 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 drinking vessel used for wine, and decorative glass beakers. Some of them will be displayed at an exhibition at Southend's Central Museum which opens to the public on Saturday.] PIC @ MOLA