A ROYAL burial site discovered beneath a roadside verge in Prittlewell has been hailed as the UK’s “equivalent of Tutankhamun’s tomb”.

The find - which included a burial chamber and 110 artefacts of a Saxon King - was made during widening work on a section of Priory Crescent between a pub and an Aldi supermarket in Prittlewell, in 2003.

Maldon and Burnham Standard:

Inspection - Ian Blair of the Museum of London Archaeology at work

Maldon and Burnham Standard:

Close - an archaeologist with one of the artefacts

Artefacts have been analysed by a team of experts who suggest the body may be that of Seaxa, brother of Anglo-Saxon King Saebert.

The chamber, which was about 13ft (4m) by 13ft (4m) and around 5ft (1.5m) deep, contained 40 artefacts.

Now, the discoveries will be going on permanent display at the Southend Central Museum, opening on Saturday, in a project funded by Southend Council and Historic England.

The research is also set to be published in two books.

The site is thought to be the earliest dated Christian Anglo-Saxon princely burial in the country.

Archaeologists have estimated it would have taken 113 working days to build the chamber, which contained exotic artefacts from around the world.

Artefacts uncovered include 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.

Ciara Phipps, curatorial manager at Southend Museums Service, said: “The long-awaited return of the Prittlewell Princely burial collection is a hugely exciting and significant moment for Southend Museums Service and the town.

“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.

“Alongside iconic objects such as the gold-foil crosses, we have a huge array of other incredible artefacts for the public to view. such as the unique remains of a Lyre – a musical instrument - and even the surviving tooth fragments of the man himself.

“This is a turning point for the cultural heritage offer of Southend.”

Sophie Jackson, director of research and engagement for MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology, said: “I think it’s our equivalent of Tutankhamun’s tomb.

“It’s getting an intact version of this and seeing how everything is positioned and what he’s got with him.

“I think the thing that’s so strange about it, is that it was such an unpromising looking site. It’s between a bit of railway and a bit of road, essentially a verge. It’s not where you’d expect to find it.”

Carbon dating indicated that the male died between 575AD and 605AD, so could not have been King Saebert, who died in 616AD.

Fragments of adult tooth enamel suggest he was over the age of six, and the size of the coffin and placement of items within suggest he was about 5ft 8in.

Ms Jackson said it was possible it was the king’s brother, Seaxa.