Tynan Crucifixion Plaque

Below them are representations of the Roman soldiers Stephaton (the sponge-bearer) and Longinus (the lance-bearer) driving spears into Christ's chest.

Archaeologists assume that contemporary Irish Early Medieval objects were buried to avoid plunder by the Vikings or Norman invaders.

[6][8][9] As with the seven other extant early medieval Crucifixion plaques, the Tynan figures are in high relief, with a central panel of the crucified Jesus surrounded by four smaller panels showing Stephaton and Longinus (the lance and sponge bearers) in the lower quadrants, and two hovering attendant angels above Christ's arms.

In contrast to the earlier examples, Christ's hands are not nailed to the cross, and usually, the angles on the lower half have bird-like beaks.

[11] Christ is naked except for a short and tight fitting loincloth[12] whose lines seem to intertwine into the forms of the saints below, while Stephaton and Longinus' hair and garments merge into the plaque's border.