Ardagh Chalice
The Ardagh Chalice is a cup that dates back to the 8th
century. The artifact was discovered alongside a hoard of other objects. This
find became known as the Ardagh Hoard. The chalice was found by a man looking
for potatoes in 1868 in Limerick, Ireland. It is believed that it was used to distribute the
wine for mass.
The cup’s appearance is Roman while
the construction is Irish. The chalice is made out of silver and is decorated with
gold, glass, and other materials. Beneath the band of gold, the names of St. Paul
and eleven apostles can be seen. The Ardagh Chalice is testament to medieval
craftmanship. The chalice can be seen at The National Museum of Ireland in Dublin,
Ireland.
“The Ardagh
Chalice: The Treasury: Exhibition.” National
Museum of Ireland, https://www.museum.ie/Archaeology/Exhibitions/Current-Exhibitions/The-Treasury/Gallery-1-Iron-Age-to-12th-Century/The-Ardagh-Chalice-(1).
“ Ardagh-Carrickerry
History.” The Ardagh Chalice, http://limerickdioceseheritage.org/Ardagh/hyArdaghChalice.htm.
This is a very interesting artifact. I also think it's kind of interesting to think about doing your daily work and stumbling upon an ancient piece of history that was probably pretty important given that it's in silver and gold. It kind of reminds me of what we learned in class today where Charlamagne devoted a bunch of time and money to his churches and provided them with the best materials that were probably pretty similar to this. Nice post, I look forward to reading more from your links!
ReplyDeleteDid the farmer find anything else while digging? Did he have to give the Chalice up or did the government pay him for it? Also was he recognized by name for finding it?
ReplyDeleteIf this were in the grail room in Indiana Jones I would totally end up grabbing this one.
ReplyDelete