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A Venetian Jewel with Byzantine Echoes
Arkeonews reports on how the translucent light-green jewel is about 26mm high and was spotted during excavation by a member of the field team working with Oxford Cotswold Archaeology. The molded scene shows Christ on the cross, flanked by St Mary and St John, and includes the Greek abbreviation “IC XC” for Jesus Christ - details that point to eastern Mediterranean artistic traditions even though specialists place the object’s manufacture in 13th-century Venice, a powerhouse of medieval glassmaking and trade.
The blend of styles is important, as it suggests that devotional imagery (and potentially the mold technology behind it) travelled huge distances, long before the modern idea of globalized supply chains.
The jewel’s iconography includes Christ flanked by Mary and John, with “IC XC” above.
(Oxford Cotswold Archaeology)
Why the Findspot Is as Important as the Object
More than 200 similar glass reliefs are known across Europe, but many are “homeless” objects, collected centuries ago without reliable archaeological context. The Sizewell C example is different as it comes from a documented excavation, close to the ruins of Leiston Abbey, raising the possibility it was lost by a medieval visitor or pilgrim.
This matters because tiny items often tell outsized stories. A pendant-like jewel is not the same as the mass-produced pilgrim badges that circulated widely in medieval Europe; it hints at personal piety, modest status, and a decision to carry faith on the body.
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The jewel was found near Leiston Abbey, a medieval monastic site on the Suffolk coast. (Eebahgum/ CC BY-SA 4.0)
A Suffolk Coast That Keeps Rewriting Itself
Suffolk’s early medieval past is already famous for royal burials and elite material culture, but the Sizewell C work is showing how much remains hidden in apparently ordinary fields. Recent Ancient Origins reporting on a princely burial with a horse at the same project underlines just how archaeologically dense this stretch of coastline is—and why rescue archaeology, when done carefully, can be a genuine engine of discovery.
Top image: A rare medieval glass cameo depicting the Crucifixion, found at Sizewell C. Source: Oxford Cotswold Archaeology
By Gary Manners
References
Arkeonews. n.d. A Rare Glass Jewel Depicting the Crucifixion Found in an Abandoned Anglo-Saxon Village. Available at: https://arkeonews.net/a-rare-glass-jewel-depicting-the-crucifixion-found-in-an-abandoned-anglo-saxon-village/
Oxford Cotswold Archaeology. 2025. A rare Byzantine pilgrim souvenir found at Sizewell C. Available at: https://oxfordcotswoldarchaeology.org.uk/news/byzantine-pilgrim-souvenir/
