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The Cross |
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The cross was an accepted sign hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus, and not only in the cultures of this region. However, Jesus’ crucifixion transformed this mark into the primary symbol of the Church, of Christianity, and of salvation through the Christian faith. Numerous variations of the cross exist, but the most common are the cross with bars of equal length and one in which the lower bar is longer than the others. Beginning in the Middle Ages, the former came to be known as a Greek cross and the latter - a Latin cross. Crosses decorated many daily objects: They were carved or painted on the facades of private and public buildings, erected in fields and on roadsides, and stamped on eating utensils. This sign was especially common on oil lamps, perhaps as a symbolic means of banishing the darkness. The cross was also the primary symbol used to identify members of the Christian faith, and thus, it is also found on tombstones and coffins. In addition, it served as an official mark of reliability and honesty, appearing on weights and, of course, on most Byzantine Imperial coins. The cross was believed to be an effective form of defense against Satan and the forces of evil and was therefore made into jewelry, which was worn by the living as amulets and deposited in tombs. The cross is frequently depicted together with images, particularly of animals or birds, arranged symmetrically along its sides. It thus recalls the motif of the Tree of Life, which was widespread in Near Eastern art, and expresses, to some extent, its meaning.
Part of a mosaic floor bearing a decorated cross in a
circle
Christian Symbols on Pottery and Glassware Pottery vessels for daily use, mostly plates, were produced during the Byzantine period in large manufacturing centers in North Africa and the eastern Mediterranean region. These objects were usually decorated with stamped designs or appliques. The most prominent motif is the cross, sometimes found together with other Christian symbols. The pottery oil lamps bearing crosses were also used for everyday purposes and did not necessarily have a liturgical function. At times it is difficult to determine whether an object decorated with crosses, like the glass bottles shown here, had a religious function. Such pieces may have simply been decorative, valued for their beauty or interesting shape, like the multi-handled flask, or entertaining, like the pottery vessel in the shape of an animal with a cross in a wreath on its head and the animal bearing an oil lamp.
Zoomorphic vessel decorated with a cross inside a wreath
Crosses were commonly worn as jewelry, the function of which was two-fold -- to beautify and to protect from harm. The most common type in the Holy Land during the Byzantine period was a small bronze pendant decorated with circles. Many crosses of this type were discovered in tombs, where they were presumably placed along with personal belongings of the deceased. In excavations of Jerusalem's Mamila district, situated near the Jaffa Gate, three crosses, representing the types of pendants typical of this period in our region, were found in a burial chapel. In addition, in one of the streets of shops leading to the city gate, a small bronze cross with an inlay of wood was found. The wood was probably a relic from the "True Cross," which invested the pendant with particular holiness.
Bronze cross-pendants decorated with circles
Crosses were particularly prominent on amulets. Pottery and plaster plaques, such as those shown here, which were hung in homes or deposited in tombs, provide another example of the syncretism evident in popular art of the Byzantine period. Based on their decorations, it is apparent that these plaques were used for magical purposes by all the people of the Holy Land at that time, regardless of their religion. Many bear geometric motifs or a small shrine (aedicula), but some are also decorated with the menorah or the cross. Others bear the image of Tyche, the pagan goddess of Fortune, or are in the shape of female figurines. Some of the plaques were originally inlaid with glass mirrors, a means of warding off the Evil Eye.
Plaster mirror-plaque against the Evil Eye decorated with
crosses, birds, and flowers
The cross was also an official symbol, which assured fairness and honesty with regard to weight and quality. Crosses are thus found on weights, on storage jar stoppers, on lead bullae used for sealing containers, and on bronze and gold coins issued by the Byzantine emperors in Constantinople.
Bronze weight with a cross depicted inside an aedicula
(shrine)
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