Skip Channel4 main Navigation
Explore Channel4
4Car
Food
4Homes
News
Sport
See All
logo
spacer
This week's programme
spacerPrittlewell home page
spacerThe luck of discovery
spacerThe 'bling'
spacerThe name of the king
spacer
Prittlewell, Southend, 13 june 2005

The 'King of Bling'

A chance discovery by archaeologists in Southend reveals an Anglo-Saxon tomb crammed with treasures. It's a burial fit for a king – but who could it be?

Time Team follows the investigation into one of the most important archaeological discoveries in recent times as archaeologists from the Museum of London and specialists from across the world search for clues from the spectacular grave goods.

It's a daunting task. The grave is 1,400 years old, the body has disintegrated and there is only a scattering of written records. But through painstaking laboratory work and historical research the archaeologists begin to decipher the ritual significance of the gold, silver and precious finds placed in the burial chamber.

Tony Robinson and Mick Aston piece together the evidence for this programme and eventually manage to name the man the papers dubbed the 'King of Bling'.

Text only

 

 

top

Related links

spacerThe Dark Ages and Anglo-Saxons
spacerWho were the Anglo-Saxons?
spacerFurther reading
spacerOther websites
Ian Blair
Trench
Raysan's reconstruction of the burial chamber
Faith Vardy's reconstruction of the burial chamber
[an error occurred while processing this directive]