| Artefact ID | 1060 |
| TM ID | - |
| Findspot (DEChriM ID) | 80 (ʿAyn Dalla) | Class | Garment/adornment/accessories, Textual |
| Material | Metal |
| Writing medium | Inscription |
| Text content | Subliterary |
| Language | Greek |
| Description | Hand cross made of bronze. The preserved length of the object is recorded as 10cm. The grip of the cross is missing. On the obverse, the arms of the cross are decorated with rudimentary interlacings and dots representing vines, and, in the middle, at the intersection of the arms, with a small patée cross. The stylised vines motifs appear also on each of the preserved globular endings that adorn the arms. The reverse features two inscriptions. The first one, on the haste, is the abbreviated nomen sacrum for Jesus Christ. The second one, divided between the two horizontal arms of the cross, bears the name Joseph. The engravings are clumsy and are certainly made by another hand than the one that engraved the obverse. The size of the object suggests a hand cross, not a processional cross. |
| Selection criteria | Christian onomastics, Christian symbols/gestures/isopsephy, Nomina sacra, Writing medium suggestive of Christian context |
| Date from | 300 |
| Date to | 500 |
| Dating criteria | Stylistic criteria; settlement date. |
| Absolute/relative date | Relative date |
| Archaeological context | Found by the prince ʿUmar Ṭūssūn at ʿAyn Dalla. According to the most reliable source available (Azadian 1930: 424), who was in direct contact with the prince, the object was found during excavations that he carried out at ʿAyn Dalla. The date of these digs is unknown, but we know that ʿUmar Ṭūssūn travelled to ʿAyn Dalla at least twice, in 1911 and 1927 (Azadian 1930: pl. 90, 91). The cross was donated to the Graeco-Roman Museum sometime between 1925 and 1931 (Breccia 1932: 59). |
| Accession number | Alexandria, Graeco-Roman Museum, inv. no. 22174 |
ARTEFACT IDENTIFIERS
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