Icklingham No. 1

The British Museum holds this object since 1946 [Prehistory and Europe Dept. Registration number: 1946,0204.1. Bibliographic reference R I B II.2, 2416.9, pp. 68-9. Location: G49/]. An article by Mawer (1994) notes and illustrates the identity and present location of three lead tanks of the Early Christian period from Icklingham, Suffolk. This one, found in 1939, and very similar to the other two, can be identified by having the XP [Chi-Ro] monogram on the font side between a W-like symbol [Omega] on the left and a A-like symbol [Alpha] on the right [the other two have different motifs on the front side]. According to Mawer (ibi.) this tank is now in the Bristish Museum. Reported in Petts (2003) as a baptism lead tank, one of three found in this locality [the third was claimed lost], ornamented with the letters AW [alpha and omega] and the monogram XP [chi-rho] and used for baptism in Roman Britain; Petts (ibid.) gives measurements for them between 97 cm and 46 cm of diameter [no specific measurements given for this one]. The online catalogue "The Gods and Goddesses of Roman Britain" [www.bedoyere.freeserve.co.uk/Rbgods.htm] has this font with a reference to RIB24169 [i.e. Collingwood and Wright, The Roman Inscriptions of Britain, 1995 c1956, v.1]. According to Petts (ibid.), this tank was found in 1932 and "probably came from the north-east side of the Horsland Field, 200-300 hundred yards north-east of the excavated site. Petts (ibid.) dates all to Icklingham tanks and the baptistery to the second hald of the 4th century [NB: another lead tank at this same locality is listed in this Index as Icklingham No. 2; the third one, now missing, is listed as Icklingham No.3]