A pottery fragment bearing Christian symbols from Roman Britain has been found among a number of forgotten fragments originally unearthed in the town of Brentford, west London.
The piece, while unexceptional in its construction, has been described as a 'tantalising find' because it sheds light on the spread of Christianity from London, known as Londinium, in the 4th century.
The artefact has a Christian symbol scratched into it and this suggests there were followers of Christ living in Brentford in Roman times.
Rare Roman pot with Christian markings found in London: 'Tantalising find' sheds light on how religion spread across Londinium
Fragment was found in Brentford in 1970, but symbol has just been seen
It is a monogram of chi and rho - first two letters of the Greek "Khristos" (Christ)
Inscription sheds light on the spread of Christianity from Londinium
For more of the latest news from London visit London News, Weather and Tube Updates | Daily Mail Online
By Sarah Griffiths for MailOnline
29 March 2016
A pottery fragment bearing Christian symbols from Roman Britain has been found among a number of forgotten fragments originally unearthed in the town of Brentford, west London.
The piece, while unexceptional in its construction, has been described as a 'tantalising find' because it sheds light on the spread of Christianity from London, known as Londinium, in the 4th century.
The artefact has a Christian symbol scratched into it and this suggests there were followers of Christ living in Brentford in Roman times.
A pottery fragment bearing Christian symbols (pictured) from Roman Britain has been found among a number of forgotten fragments originally unearthed in the town of Brentford, west London
The object was originally excavated in 1970 during excavations at Brentford High Street, but there is no record of it being noticed at the time.
Volunteers at the Museum of London's Archaeological Archive made the discovery of the symbol, which is a chi-rho – a monogram of chi (Χ) and rho (Ρ) - the first two letters of the Greek "Khristos" (Christ).
'At first we noticed there was some sort of mark on the pot and then quickly realised the significance of what we had,' said Archaeology Collections Manager Adam Corsini.
'Christian symbols from the Roman period are rare, especially from sites within Londinium's surrounding hinterland [which includes modern Brentford] and there are only a few examples within our collections relating to London.'
The pot piece, while unexceptional in itself, has been described as a 'tantalising find' because it sheds light on the spread of Christianity from London, known as Londinium in the 4th century. An illustration of Londinium in the 2nd century is shown above
Head of Archaeological Collections, Roy Stephenson, told MailOnline he has only found six examples of Christian symbols on Roman artefacts from London and they were all found in central parts of the city, with 'nothing in the outskirts.'
The other objects bearing the marks include two lamps, a small lead bowl and two lead ingots discovered in the Thames and none of them were unearthed in modern day excavations.
The symbol has also been seen on 25 coins, but these were all brought over from the continent.
Mr Corsini continued: 'Although we can't say from one object that Roman London and its hinterland were practising Christianity, it does suggest that Christians were at least present at some point in 4th Century Roman Brentford.'
Mr Stephenson explained Christianity was one of many religions followed by residents of Londinium, although no Roman church has ever been found in the city.
Society at this point was tolerant of many beliefs and Christianity wasn't forced on people.
Sometimes one religion merged into another one.
For example Mr Stephenson said: 'The layout of the Temple of Mithras in London wasn't unlike that of a church, with an altar at the front. There was a certain amount of similarity between religions.
He continued: 'London was a port with new ideas coming in – not just goods like olive oil and wine - ideas permeated from London to Brentford - one day's journey away at the time.
'It would have been the first stop you made travelling from London and possibly a place you would have stopped travelling from the west.'
The discovery is reshaping experts' views of Brentford as it would have been in Roman times.
Society at this point was tolerant of many beliefs and Christianity wasn't forced on people. Sometimes one religion merged into another one, with the Temple of Mithras laid out like a church. Artefacts from the ruined Roman temple are shown above on display at The Museum of London
The object was originally excavated in 1970 during excavations at Brentford High Street (marked on the map), but there is no record of it being noticed at the time
'We always thought [Brentford] was a roadside service area for the main road [into London].
'Brentford may have been a cosmopolitan town in its own right,' Mr Stephenson said.
It was the likely site of a battle recorded by Julius Caesar in 54 BC between the Roman warrior and the local king, Cassivellaunus.
Mr Stephenson said the shard of pottery is 'bog standard' without the symbol, but nevertheless described it as a 'tantalising find'.
'I don't think the pot's anything unusual in itself - probably the base of a bowl,' he explained.
'We can't say for sure that it's a liturgical or part of a set like those found in more recent churches, but why else would you do it?' he asked, meaning scrathing the symbol into the pot.
'We don't know if the monogram was made when the pot was, or scratched into it before or after it was broken.'
He said there's a possibility more monograms or other illuminating details may be revealed as volunteers sift through more pottery fragments collected in the 1970 excavation in Brentford.
It was one of several in the area during the late 1960s and 1970s, during a programme of road widening and rebuilding in Brentford's town centre.
The excavations discovered the line of the Roman road heading out from Londinium to the west of Britain and started to shed light on the town that developed from the construction of this road to Silchester.
It is assumed that the town would have exploited the trade route, providing for the needs of any who passed through and other artefacts from the excavations include over 100 coins, a dozen brooches, jet jewellery and a spout for a bronze bowl in the shape of a dog.
The pottery shard bearing the Christian symbol is now on display at the Museum of London for the first time.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF BRENTFORD, WEST LONDON
Brentford is a town in the London Borough of Hounslow
54BC - Brentford, in west London, was likely the site of a battle recorded by Julius Caear between the Roman warrior and the local king, Cassivellaunus.
1016 - The Battle of Brentford, between the invading Canute and Edmund Ironside
1431 - Syon Abbey was relocated from nearby Twickenham, but was destroyed by Henry VIII in 1539
1616 - Pocahontas, Pamunkey princess, lived in Brentford with her husband
1642 - Another Battle of Brentford - this time during the English Civil War
1682 - The town was flooded, destroying many historic houses
1805 - Beginning of building for the Grand Union Canal
1815 - Brentford was home to the sixth President of the USA, John Quincy Adams
1889 - Brentford Football Club was founded
1925 - A section of the town became known as the Golden Mile due to the large number of factories that relocated there to take advantage of the good communications
1965 - The town was linked by the M4
Read more: Rare Roman pot with Christian markings found in London | Daily Mail Online
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
The piece, while unexceptional in its construction, has been described as a 'tantalising find' because it sheds light on the spread of Christianity from London, known as Londinium, in the 4th century.
The artefact has a Christian symbol scratched into it and this suggests there were followers of Christ living in Brentford in Roman times.
Rare Roman pot with Christian markings found in London: 'Tantalising find' sheds light on how religion spread across Londinium
Fragment was found in Brentford in 1970, but symbol has just been seen
It is a monogram of chi and rho - first two letters of the Greek "Khristos" (Christ)
Inscription sheds light on the spread of Christianity from Londinium
For more of the latest news from London visit London News, Weather and Tube Updates | Daily Mail Online
By Sarah Griffiths for MailOnline
29 March 2016
A pottery fragment bearing Christian symbols from Roman Britain has been found among a number of forgotten fragments originally unearthed in the town of Brentford, west London.
The piece, while unexceptional in its construction, has been described as a 'tantalising find' because it sheds light on the spread of Christianity from London, known as Londinium, in the 4th century.
The artefact has a Christian symbol scratched into it and this suggests there were followers of Christ living in Brentford in Roman times.
A pottery fragment bearing Christian symbols (pictured) from Roman Britain has been found among a number of forgotten fragments originally unearthed in the town of Brentford, west London
The object was originally excavated in 1970 during excavations at Brentford High Street, but there is no record of it being noticed at the time.
Volunteers at the Museum of London's Archaeological Archive made the discovery of the symbol, which is a chi-rho – a monogram of chi (Χ) and rho (Ρ) - the first two letters of the Greek "Khristos" (Christ).
'At first we noticed there was some sort of mark on the pot and then quickly realised the significance of what we had,' said Archaeology Collections Manager Adam Corsini.
'Christian symbols from the Roman period are rare, especially from sites within Londinium's surrounding hinterland [which includes modern Brentford] and there are only a few examples within our collections relating to London.'
The pot piece, while unexceptional in itself, has been described as a 'tantalising find' because it sheds light on the spread of Christianity from London, known as Londinium in the 4th century. An illustration of Londinium in the 2nd century is shown above
Head of Archaeological Collections, Roy Stephenson, told MailOnline he has only found six examples of Christian symbols on Roman artefacts from London and they were all found in central parts of the city, with 'nothing in the outskirts.'
The other objects bearing the marks include two lamps, a small lead bowl and two lead ingots discovered in the Thames and none of them were unearthed in modern day excavations.
The symbol has also been seen on 25 coins, but these were all brought over from the continent.
Mr Corsini continued: 'Although we can't say from one object that Roman London and its hinterland were practising Christianity, it does suggest that Christians were at least present at some point in 4th Century Roman Brentford.'
Mr Stephenson explained Christianity was one of many religions followed by residents of Londinium, although no Roman church has ever been found in the city.
Society at this point was tolerant of many beliefs and Christianity wasn't forced on people.
Sometimes one religion merged into another one.
For example Mr Stephenson said: 'The layout of the Temple of Mithras in London wasn't unlike that of a church, with an altar at the front. There was a certain amount of similarity between religions.
He continued: 'London was a port with new ideas coming in – not just goods like olive oil and wine - ideas permeated from London to Brentford - one day's journey away at the time.
'It would have been the first stop you made travelling from London and possibly a place you would have stopped travelling from the west.'
The discovery is reshaping experts' views of Brentford as it would have been in Roman times.
Society at this point was tolerant of many beliefs and Christianity wasn't forced on people. Sometimes one religion merged into another one, with the Temple of Mithras laid out like a church. Artefacts from the ruined Roman temple are shown above on display at The Museum of London
The object was originally excavated in 1970 during excavations at Brentford High Street (marked on the map), but there is no record of it being noticed at the time
'We always thought [Brentford] was a roadside service area for the main road [into London].
'Brentford may have been a cosmopolitan town in its own right,' Mr Stephenson said.
It was the likely site of a battle recorded by Julius Caesar in 54 BC between the Roman warrior and the local king, Cassivellaunus.
Mr Stephenson said the shard of pottery is 'bog standard' without the symbol, but nevertheless described it as a 'tantalising find'.
'I don't think the pot's anything unusual in itself - probably the base of a bowl,' he explained.
'We can't say for sure that it's a liturgical or part of a set like those found in more recent churches, but why else would you do it?' he asked, meaning scrathing the symbol into the pot.
'We don't know if the monogram was made when the pot was, or scratched into it before or after it was broken.'
He said there's a possibility more monograms or other illuminating details may be revealed as volunteers sift through more pottery fragments collected in the 1970 excavation in Brentford.
It was one of several in the area during the late 1960s and 1970s, during a programme of road widening and rebuilding in Brentford's town centre.
The excavations discovered the line of the Roman road heading out from Londinium to the west of Britain and started to shed light on the town that developed from the construction of this road to Silchester.
It is assumed that the town would have exploited the trade route, providing for the needs of any who passed through and other artefacts from the excavations include over 100 coins, a dozen brooches, jet jewellery and a spout for a bronze bowl in the shape of a dog.
The pottery shard bearing the Christian symbol is now on display at the Museum of London for the first time.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF BRENTFORD, WEST LONDON
Brentford is a town in the London Borough of Hounslow
54BC - Brentford, in west London, was likely the site of a battle recorded by Julius Caear between the Roman warrior and the local king, Cassivellaunus.
1016 - The Battle of Brentford, between the invading Canute and Edmund Ironside
1431 - Syon Abbey was relocated from nearby Twickenham, but was destroyed by Henry VIII in 1539
1616 - Pocahontas, Pamunkey princess, lived in Brentford with her husband
1642 - Another Battle of Brentford - this time during the English Civil War
1682 - The town was flooded, destroying many historic houses
1805 - Beginning of building for the Grand Union Canal
1815 - Brentford was home to the sixth President of the USA, John Quincy Adams
1889 - Brentford Football Club was founded
1925 - A section of the town became known as the Golden Mile due to the large number of factories that relocated there to take advantage of the good communications
1965 - The town was linked by the M4
Read more: Rare Roman pot with Christian markings found in London | Daily Mail Online
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
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