Water Newton Treasure
Encyclopedia
The Water Newton Treasure is a hoard
of fourth-century Roman
silver
, discovered near the Roman town of Durobrivae at Water Newton
in the English
county of Cambridgeshire
. The hoard consisted of 27 silver items and one small gold plaque. Because of inscriptions found on some of the pieces in the collection it has been suggested that they may have been used in a local church, and they therefore comprise the earliest probable group of Christian liturgical silver yet found in the Roman Empire
.
The hoard was discovered during ploughing in February 1975; several items were damaged by the plough. It was probably buried by an inhabitant of the nearby Roman
fortified garrison town of Durobrivae. There are nine silver vessels, and the remainder of the items are votive tokens engraved and embossed with the labarum
(the chi-rho cross), mostly of triangular shape. The larger items include jugs, bowls, dishes, a strainer, and an unengraved standing two-handled cup of the form (cantharus) later used as chalice
s.
Due to the importance of this find, it is now in the British Museum
, with replicas at Peterborough
Museum.
foliage motifs in several zones, and leaf-scrolls. The single handle has become detached; a fragment was part of the treasure.
Lower part of a hanging bowl, width 18–19 cm, weight 220.4 g. (1975,1002.2). Essentially the bottom part only of a large but very thin shallow hanging bowl, designed to be seen from the outside, and possibly used as a lamp. The decoration is repoussé
worked from the outside, leaving the pattern in relief when seen from the inside. Other fragments were found, including rings for suspension and bits of chain, and parts of the rim. There are nine zones of decoration and mouldings. A few very similar bowls have been found in France and Ireland; the decoration may have imitated that of cut glass bowls. The piece is now displayed around a perspex support that demonstrates the original full dimensions—see the gallery section.
Inscribed silver bowl, height 11.5 cm, width 17 cm, weight 663 g. (1975,1002.5). Badly damaged at the base on one side, the bowl has inscriptions: under the base, the name "PUBLIANUS", and round the rim a regular hexameter
line:"SANCTUM ALTARE TUUM DOMINE SUBNIXUS HONORO" engraved alongside two chi-rho monograms. The exact context of the inscriptions have been debated but "O Lord, I Publianus, relying on you, honour your holy altar [or church]." is probably the sense. The bowl is therefore marked as a votive offering, and associates the treasure with a church, or perhaps the private chapel of a large house.
The majority of the objects found are small plaques which were probably fixed to the wall of a church as votive offerings. Some have holes for nails, like the single gold plaque, and one an inscription saying that "Anicilla has fulfilled the vow which she promised" (1975,10 2.13). The triangular "leaf" form of most of these was originally pagan, but the chi-rho monogram on these examples makes them the first finds to show that the practice had been adopted by Christians.
Hoard
In archaeology, a hoard is a collection of valuable objects or artifacts, sometimes purposely buried in the ground. This would usually be with the intention of later recovery by the hoarder; hoarders sometimes died before retrieving the hoard, and these surviving hoards may be uncovered by...
of fourth-century Roman
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
, discovered near the Roman town of Durobrivae at Water Newton
Water Newton
Water Newton is a village on the northern border of the English county of Cambridgeshire.It is in the district of Huntingdonshire between the River Nene and the A1 trunk road...
in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county of Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
. The hoard consisted of 27 silver items and one small gold plaque. Because of inscriptions found on some of the pieces in the collection it has been suggested that they may have been used in a local church, and they therefore comprise the earliest probable group of Christian liturgical silver yet found in the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
.
The hoard was discovered during ploughing in February 1975; several items were damaged by the plough. It was probably buried by an inhabitant of the nearby Roman
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
fortified garrison town of Durobrivae. There are nine silver vessels, and the remainder of the items are votive tokens engraved and embossed with the labarum
Labarum
The labarum was a vexillum that displayed the "Chi-Rho" symbol ☧, formed from the first two Greek letters of the word "Christ" — Chi and Rho . It was used by the Roman emperor Constantine I...
(the chi-rho cross), mostly of triangular shape. The larger items include jugs, bowls, dishes, a strainer, and an unengraved standing two-handled cup of the form (cantharus) later used as chalice
Chalice (cup)
A chalice is a goblet or footed cup intended to hold a drink. In general religious terms, it is intended for drinking during a ceremony.-Christian:...
s.
Due to the importance of this find, it is now in the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
, with replicas at Peterborough
Peterborough
Peterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea...
Museum.
Major items
Decorated silver jug, height 20.3 cm high, 11.6 cm maximum width, weight 534 g. (1975,1002.1). Illustrated above, the jug is the most elaborately decorated largely complete piece in the group, with acanthus-typeAcanthus (ornament)
The acanthus is one of the most common plant forms to make foliage ornament and decoration.-Architecture:In architecture, an ornament is carved into stone or wood to resemble leaves from the Mediterranean species of the Acanthus genus of plants, which have deeply cut leaves with some similarity to...
foliage motifs in several zones, and leaf-scrolls. The single handle has become detached; a fragment was part of the treasure.
Lower part of a hanging bowl, width 18–19 cm, weight 220.4 g. (1975,1002.2). Essentially the bottom part only of a large but very thin shallow hanging bowl, designed to be seen from the outside, and possibly used as a lamp. The decoration is repoussé
Repoussé and chasing
Repoussé or repoussage is a metalworking technique in which a malleable metal is ornamented or shaped by hammering from the reverse side to create a design in low relief. There are few techniques that offer such diversity of expression while still being relatively economical...
worked from the outside, leaving the pattern in relief when seen from the inside. Other fragments were found, including rings for suspension and bits of chain, and parts of the rim. There are nine zones of decoration and mouldings. A few very similar bowls have been found in France and Ireland; the decoration may have imitated that of cut glass bowls. The piece is now displayed around a perspex support that demonstrates the original full dimensions—see the gallery section.
Inscribed silver bowl, height 11.5 cm, width 17 cm, weight 663 g. (1975,1002.5). Badly damaged at the base on one side, the bowl has inscriptions: under the base, the name "PUBLIANUS", and round the rim a regular hexameter
Hexameter
Hexameter is a metrical line of verse consisting of six feet. It was the standard epic metre in classical Greek and Latin literature, such as in the Iliad and Aeneid. Its use in other genres of composition include Horace's satires, and Ovid's Metamorphoses. According to Greek mythology, hexameter...
line:"SANCTUM ALTARE TUUM DOMINE SUBNIXUS HONORO" engraved alongside two chi-rho monograms. The exact context of the inscriptions have been debated but "O Lord, I Publianus, relying on you, honour your holy altar [or church]." is probably the sense. The bowl is therefore marked as a votive offering, and associates the treasure with a church, or perhaps the private chapel of a large house.
The majority of the objects found are small plaques which were probably fixed to the wall of a church as votive offerings. Some have holes for nails, like the single gold plaque, and one an inscription saying that "Anicilla has fulfilled the vow which she promised" (1975,10 2.13). The triangular "leaf" form of most of these was originally pagan, but the chi-rho monogram on these examples makes them the first finds to show that the practice had been adopted by Christians.