Water Newton Treasure

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 chalices.

Illustrated above, the jug is the most elaborately decorated largely complete piece in the group, with acanthus-type foliage motifs in several zones, and leaf-scrolls.

Melchizedek and Abel stand making offerings, not to a pagan altar with a fire, but to a table covered with a white cloth.

The majority of the objects found are small plaques which were probably fixed to the wall of a church as votive offerings.

[7] 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.

Jewelled chalice depicted at Ravenna in Italy, of similar design to the Water Newton bowl