✅ SOLVED Old Crucifix

[Frankyg]

I found this near an old 10th Century church on unploughed pasture. It is made of Bronze and looks old but it was only about 6inches deep in the ground. I'd appreciate any views on it's age. It has a very faint inscription on the back that I think reads 'OMNIOUS'.

 

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[Joe-Dirt]

Wow, that’s really cool. I love finding old religious medallions etc. I have no idea how old it is due to the fact that after I post this, I’m going to google just where exactly you’re from, sorry

 

[Joe-Dirt]

Looked it up, it could be really old. Some one here will let you know, very nice indeed

 

[Frankyg]

I've found coins and artefacts from Roman times from the same field, also quite a few medieval pieces and coins and some later stuff. All of the older items were deeper than this one which makes me wonder about it. It could have been a very old crucifix, handed down through a family until it was lost. The land is unploughed pasture so I tend to find things at consistent depths, so much so that I have sometimes ignored borderline signals if they were close to the surface. I've searched this field for years but when the weather is better this year I'm going to do it properly.

 

[A2coins]

Dang thst is a small treasure wow great display piece

 

[invent4hir]

Amazing find!! If indeed the word omnious appears on the reverse, that word dates to about the late 1500s and has Latin origin.

 

[1637]

can we vote for a banner or do we need more infor first?? what a cool find,can we see some of your other finds?
brad

 

[Joecoins]

Damb that color is rly nice.

 

[Frankyg]

Thanks for your comments everyone. The purple colour in the photos was something to do with the light. I'll try to take some better photos in natural light.

 

[Frankyg]

Here are some better pictures. I've gotta say that I am not convinced by this piece. It looks to be worn and aged, perhaps as part of a set of rosary beads, but the wear seems to me to be too be evenly spread over the surface. On the other hand, the letters on the back are very worn which seems to be evidence that the piece is genuine. After all, why make an inscription illegible during manufacture? The last thing that concerns me is the depth that I found it at. On this particular field I have found Roman and Medieveal coins but usually deeper than this piece. It could be that this piece aged naturally when it was passed down through several generations before being lost. This would explain the wear and the depth.

 

[invent4hir]

Here are some better pictures. I've gotta say that I am not convinced by this piece. It looks to be worn and aged, perhaps as part of a set of rosary beads, but the wear seems to me to be too be evenly spread over the surface. On the other hand, the letters on the back are very worn which seems to be evidence that the piece is genuine. After all, why make an inscription illegible during manufacture? The last thing that concerns me is the depth that I found it at. On this particular field I have found Roman and Medieveal coins but usually deeper than this piece. It could be that this piece aged naturally when it was passed down through several generations before being lost. This would explain the wear and the depth.

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Frankyg, thanks for the extra excellent photos. After reading your last entry another thing that strikes me is how symmetrical the shape is (especially looking at the reverse side). What could be uniform wear on the obverse could be the original design lacking details(?). The non-uniform wear on the reverse may be from use, although it seems strange that the center letters are most visible when I'd think this part of the Crucifix would be against the body most often. If you hit a brick wall trying to date it, you can send pictures to an archaeologist, who might be able to narrow it down. Regardless of its actual age, it is still an amazing find! Also, depth can be tricky sometimes. Three years ago I dug an 1865 Indian Head penny that was 1/2" deep and 10 feet away I dug a 1965 Memorial penny 4 inches deep.

 

[HuntinDog]

I agree it's an amazing find...
But the only question I have as to it's age is the wear on the bail ring.
It doesn't appear to have much wear to match the rest of the Crucifix...

 

[Frankyg]

Good point HuntinDog. I've been metal detecting for 40 years and found all sorts of artefacts. There's something about this piece that just doesn't feel 'Right' to me. From it's size I think that it is from a set of Rosary beads and the more I look at it and think about it the more I think that it was designed to look old. The field where I found it adjoins a 10th Century church but that church is still in use to this day so I just don't know about it's age. It is not a Catholic church so I would not expect to find modern Rosary items there. It's still a nice find 'though and I'm looking forward to doing a proper job on the field with my new CTX when the weather gets a bit better. :-)

 

[Oddjob]

does this say no?

 

[Frankyg]

I can make out an 'M' before the 'N' and a 'U' after the 'O' in natural light. I think the word is 'OMNIOUS'

 

[tamrock]

That's a way better find than the lead one found on Oak Island imo. I watched that show last night and I can't believe how much time and money is put into something and go on and on for basically nothing. I can't figure out yet why all the tree hugger's aren't raising holy hell yet to what those guys are doing that poor island.

 

[Robot]

What It Appears To Me...Is An...Ancient Benedict Cross!






The Words on the Back, maybe...U.I.O.G.D. (“Ut in Omnibus Glorificetur Deus,” or “that in all things God may be glorified,” a phrase taken from the Rule of Benedict.

I would research if there may have been a Benedict Monastery or Convent located on this property.

If so...the Best of Treasure Hunting!