The 'bling'

The Prittlewell burial chamber contained more than 140 different items altogether, including some 20 or so vessels of one sort or another. Among them were:

• Perfectly-preserved glass vessels, including one pair of beautiful decorated blue jars and another pair made of green glass.
• Ornate gold-rimmed drinking horns, probably from Scandinavia.
• A complete gold belt buckle of a type most popular in England from 600-640 AD.
• A Coptic bowl with a footring and handles, similar to those found in other high-status Anglo-Saxon bnurials at Taplow and Sutton Hoo.
• A Byzantine silver spoon inscribed with two lines of characters beneath a cross – possibly a baptismal gift or communion spoon.
• Two gold foil crosses, about 30mm in length, of a style that originated in northern Italy. These would have been laid on the body in the tomb, possibly on the eyes of the deceased.
• A cast bronze flagon of a style made in the eastern Mediterranean from the 6th to 9th centuries.
• A lyre, a reconstruction of which was made for Time Team.
• Merovingian gold coins similar to those found at Sutton Hoo.

Details of the main finds, together with photos, videos and 3D reconstructions are available at the Museum of London Archaeology Service website:

www.molas.org.uk/pages/siteDetails.asp?siteid=pr03

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