Archaeologists have discovered a trove of precious artefacts in an Anglo-Saxon burial chamber - dubbed the UK's equivalent of Tutankhamun's tomb.
The site, which lies between a pub and an Aldi supermarket, was discovered in 2003, however the full scale of the finds has only now been revealed.
It is believed the tomb in Essex contained the brother of King Saebert, who appears to have been a Christian, despite the Anglo-Saxons' pagan beliefs.
Some 40 artefacts were found in the excavation, including gold foil crosses which were placed over the eyes of the dead man, thought to be the ancient prince Saexa.
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Sophie Jackson, the director of research at the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA), which helped study the tomb, told the Daily Mail : "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."
She added that the tomb is the earliest dated Christian Anglo-Saxon princely burial in the country.
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Archaeologists have estimated it would have taken 113 working days to build the chamber, which contained exotic artefacts from around the world.
Ms Jackson said the site had been fully excavated because, once discovered, it was vulnerable to potential theft.
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.
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"I think the thing that's so strange about it is that it was such an unpromising looking site," said Ms Jackson.
"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, adding: "That may also not be correct, but that's the best guess.
"There's a lot of debate about whether he was a fully-fledged hairy beast Saxon warrior, or younger.
"Had he died before he could really prove himself as he could have been buried with more kit?"
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The presence of artefacts from other kingdoms suggest wealth, she said.
"It's a really interesting time when Christianity is sort of creeping in and this is all possibly before Augustinian sent his mission to Britain to convert the country to Christianity so they would have been just on the transition between having pagan burials with all your gear but also having these crosses," she said.
The chamber, which was about 13ft (4m) by 13ft (4m) and around 5ft (1.5m) deep, contained some 40 artefacts.
Some of them will be displayed at an exhibition at Central Museum in Southend which opens to the public on May 11 and research will also be published in two books.
The project was funded by Southend-on-Sea Borough Council and Historic England.
