'Ancient' Christian amulet declared a fake
A replica of the cross was worn around the neck by the then Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey as a symbol of his office.
But the cross, which was found in a grave within the area of the small Roman city at Shepton Mallet in Somerset, is almost certainly a fake.
Scientists at Liverpool University, who conducted tests using new technology, have concluded that they are "99 per cent" certain the cross or amulet does not date from Roman times.
The results are an embarrassment for civic leaders in Shepton Mallett who, anticipating a rush of Christian pilgrims, named a street and theatre after the amulet when it was unearthed in 1990. The cross convinced historians they had found the earliest Christian burial site in Europe. They regarded it as the key to how Christianity spread through the late Roman Empire.
It now appears the jewellery may have been crafted by an amateur silversmith as one theory is that it was planted in Shepton Mallet by opponents of a warehouse development who wanted to give greater significance to the site.
Read entire article at Telegraph (UK)
But the cross, which was found in a grave within the area of the small Roman city at Shepton Mallet in Somerset, is almost certainly a fake.
Scientists at Liverpool University, who conducted tests using new technology, have concluded that they are "99 per cent" certain the cross or amulet does not date from Roman times.
The results are an embarrassment for civic leaders in Shepton Mallett who, anticipating a rush of Christian pilgrims, named a street and theatre after the amulet when it was unearthed in 1990. The cross convinced historians they had found the earliest Christian burial site in Europe. They regarded it as the key to how Christianity spread through the late Roman Empire.
It now appears the jewellery may have been crafted by an amateur silversmith as one theory is that it was planted in Shepton Mallet by opponents of a warehouse development who wanted to give greater significance to the site.