Egypt; Roman/Coptic Period, c. 2nd- 4th century AD
The earliest form of Paleo-Christian symbolic image of Christ on the cross. The staurogram predates the Chi-Rho image. It instead combines the Rho and the Tau. Beautiful swirling iridescent surface. Wonderful and impressive object. Very rare.

Dimensions

2" (5.1 cm)


Provenance:
Provenance: The John J. Slocum Collection
Mr. Slocum (1914-1997) collected most of his antiquities while serving as US cultural attache to Egypt in the 1960s. Later, he served as Assistant to the Director of The Smithsonian, was appointed by President Reagan to the Presidential Cultural Property Advisory Committee, and was a Trustee Emeritus of the Archaeological Institute of America. He was a well-respected scholar/collector, whose medieval crusader coins were sold in a single-owner sale at Sotheby's, London in 1997.

Small chip to rim.