LAMP WITH INVERTED CHRISTOGRAM
Fired clay, red slip ware, mould-made.
Numidia (Tunisia), North Africa
Late Roman Empire – Vandal Kingdom
Fifth century CE
Length: 12.8cm, width: 7.8 cm, height: 5.1 cm
Christianity flourished in North Africa from the second century CE. Tunisia, in
particular, is renowned for a series of lamps and red ware pottery depicting
scenes and stories from the Old and New Testaments. The discus of this
Christian North African lamp is decorated with a Christogram, pierced by two
filling holes and surrounded by an alternating pattern of concentric circles and
double-bordered squares enclosing an X-design. The circular form of the lamp,
as well as its decoration and fine red fabric and slip are characteristic of the
ware produced in Tunisia in the fifth century and widely exported. In this lamp
and plaque , the rho of the Christogram faces the opposite direction than
expected (retrograde). The reason for this apparent but common anomaly is
unknown.
BLMJ 6319
LAMP WITH RAM AND CHRISTOGRAM
Fired clay, red slip ware, mould-made
Numidia (Tunisia), North Africa
Late Roman Empire – Vandal Kingdom
Fifth century CE
Length: 14.1 cm, width: 8.4 cm, height: 5.2 cm
The discus depicts a ram with a Christogram inscribed in a circle on its head.
The ram, the substitute sacrifice, was a conventional symbol for the story of the
Sacrifice of Isaac. Christians associated it with the actual sacrifice of another
son, Jesus, and interpreted the aborted sacrifice of Isaac as a precursor of the
Crucifixion. The Sacrifice of Isaac provides one of the clearest examples of the
way in which early Christians used events in the Old Testament as parallels to
Jesus' Passion, creating a new interpretation of the original story in the light of
later events. In support of this comparison, Christian theologians noted that
both Isaac and Jesus were conceived in a miraculous fashion (Sarah bore Isaac
at the age of ninety after a lifetime of barrenness); that Isaac carried the wood
for his sacrifice just as Jesus carried his own cross; and that the journey to the
sacrifice site at Mt. Moriah took three days, the same length of time as between
Jesus’ death and his resurrection.
The discus is surrounded by a pattern of alternate concentric circles, filled with a
dot fringe pattern, and concentric triangles. Near the nozzle the pattern
terminates in palm branches on each side.
BLMJ 5669
PLAQUE WITH INVERTED CHRISTOGRAM AND GREEK LETTERS
ALPHA AND OMEGA
Clay
Spain(?)
Visigothic period
Sixth century CE(?)
Height: 35.5 cm, width: 23 cm, thickness: 5.5 cm
In relief on this massive tile is the Christogram, on either side of which are the
letters alpha and omega. The appearance of the letters “Α” and “ω”, the first
and last letters of the Greek alphabet, reflects the statement made by Jesus: “I
am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End” (Revelation 21:6).
The linking of the Christogram with the two letters was meant to underscore the
complete identification of the believer with Jesus. Both the Christogram and the
letters appear in reverse. The reversal of the image and the letters, as well as the
large size and weight of the plaque, indicates that it may have been used as a
stamp. The Christogram as the principal motif is evident in the areas of both
southern Spain and North Africa and is an inseparable part of the general
Christian repertoire from the fourth century onwards. The dimensions of the
plaque suggest it was frequently used, possibly to decorate church walls or
baptismal fonts.
BLMJ 6238
BOWL WITH STAUROGRAM AND GREEK LETTERS ALPHA AND
OMEGA
Fired clay, red slip ware
Numidia (Tunisia), North Africa
Late Roman Empire – Vandal Kingdom
Fourth-fifth centuries CE
Height: 4.2 cm, diameter: 17.5 cm
Stamped in this bowl is a design consisting of an inverted rho-topped cross.
This cross-shaped monogram, termed Staurogram (from stauros 'cross') is
comprised of the Greek letter tau and rho, the vertical line of the rho
superimposed on the vertical stroke of the tau. It is so-called since in the early
manuscripts of the Gospels (200-250 CE), the word stauros is written as a
ligature with this sign.
From the transverse bar of the cross hang the Greek letters “Α” (alpha) and “ω”
(omega) under its lateral arms. Note that the alpha is upside down. The
appearance of the letters “Α” and “ω”, the first and last letters of the Greek
alphabet, reflects the statement made by Jesus: “I am the Alpha and the Omega,
the Beginning and the End” (Revelation 21:6). The linking of the Christogram
with the two letters was meant to underscore the complete identification of the
believer with Jesus.
BLMJ 6242
BREAD STAMP WITH STAUROGRAM AND GREEK LETTERS
ALPHA AND OMEGA
Limestone
Eastern Mediterranean
Byzantine period
Fourth-seventh centuries CE
Length: 5.5 cm, width: 5.5 cm, height with handle: 2.2 cm
This bread stamp depicts a Staurogram (tau-rho monogram), the Greek letters
“Α” (alpha) and “ω” (omega) under its lateral arms and two holes above them.
When pressed on the bread, the letter “P” will appear inverted although the
letters “Α”and “ω” will appear in the correct order. The whole configuration is
framed inside a square.
Each of these signs carries symbolic meaning. The appearance of the letters
“Α”and “ω”, the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, reflects the
statement made by Jesus: “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and
the End” (Revelation 21:6). The two holes conceivably symbolize the sun and
moon.
BLMJ 6315