EARLY ANGLO-SAXON CHRISTIAN RELIQUARIES
Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Burial Sites ALDBOROUGH - YORKSHIRE Figure 6 Isuriam Brigantum Roman Town 47mm diameter x 40mm height, worn and repaired. Body extended in length by a seamed internal tube with a single row of six raised punched dots on the exterior periphery. The tube is attached to the inside diameter of the body by four copperalloy rivets. This arrangement serves twin functions, to increase the capacity of the box and enabled the lid assembly to fit firmly onto the body. This method accounts for striations evident on the box. Lid ring is bell mouthed at one end to form a ledge; two bored holes are utalised to attach copper-alloy rivets to corresponding holes in the flat un-decorated lid top to form the complete lid assembly. Body bell mouthed at one end, the flat body base is attached by a single copper-alloy rivet and solder. Body base has what appears to be a deliberate attempt to incise a crude incomplete cross of three equally spaced arms meeting on a central circle? Alternatively, the symbol may be unrelated to a cross and represent nothing more than rays from the sun or moon. However, this is no casual ‘doodle.’ The cross lines are so straight that demonstrates the use of a straight edge, the distorted central circle has been applied freehand. Ascot-under-Wychwood, Hurdlow and Wolverton Grave 2168 are other Type l boxes with incised decorations. Aldborough Roman Site Museum, Boroughbridge Yorkshire.
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