A Bridge Between Two Worlds? Reflections on a Late Roman Bone Plaque from York

Evidence for Christianity in Roman York is sparse, but an object thought to be Christian in sentiment is an openwork bone plaque from a burial dated to the fourth century. Study of the inscription suggests it was carefully composed to create a series of patterns in the number of words and letters. These patterns may be interpreted in terms of aspects of the Christian faith. They are similar to those found in the inscriptions on funerary monuments in York and in post-Roman Christian inscriptions from ‘Celtic’ regions of Britain. The status of the burial as that of a Christian is also considered.