| Artefact ID | 1058 |
| TM ID | - |
| Findspot (DEChriM ID) | 25 (Aḫmīm) | Class | Garment/adornment/accessories |
| Material | Metal |
| Description | Commemorative disk representing the apostles Peter and Paul. The disk is made of copper alloy and covered with a gold sheet, embossed or pressed. Above the heads of the apostles, a christogram is visible: a staurogram above Paul (on the left in the picture – recognisable by his baldness), and a iota-chi monogram above Peter (on the right in the picture). Between the two, in the upper part of the disk, appears a Latin croix pattée. The good state of preservation of the disk, particularly of the gold sheet, suggests that the object was not intended for frequent use. Its function is not clear. It is, however, possible that it served as an insert for a reliquary capsule or a fibula (El-Sayed, Lakomy, Ehler, Fluck, Herzberg-Beiersdorf and Zorn 2021), although the hook to which the piece would have been attached is missing. Similar pieces, albeit somewhat larger in diameter and made of cheaper materials, were found in the Roman catacombs. Therefore, the this disk is "certainly a high-quality souvenir that a pilgrim or traveler may have brought with them to Aḫmīm" (El-Sayed, Lakomy, Ehler, Fluck, Herzberg-Beiersdorf and Zorn 2021). |
| Selection criteria | Christian symbols/gestures/isopsephy |
| Date from | 300 |
| Date to | 400 |
| Dating criteria | Roman parallels (see El-Sayed, Lakomy, Ehler, Fluck, Herzberg-Beiersdorf and Zorn 2021). |
| Absolute/relative date | Relative date |
| Archaeological context | Uncertain. Probably excavated in Aḫmīm. |
| Accession number | Berlin, Staatliche Museen, MBK-Inv.-Nr. 3331 |
ARTEFACT IDENTIFIERS
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