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Roman Britain

The Hinton St Mary Mosaic

Hinton St Mary, Dorset

Perhaps the earliest picture of Christ ever found in Britain.

In 1963 a blacksmith digging foundations in Hinton St Mary uncovered a Roman mosaic floor. At its centre is the face of a man with the Chi-Rho symbol behind his head, which is thought to be one of the earliest known images of Christ anywhere.

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When
300s
Where
50.9400, -2.3100
Group
Roman Britain

Visiting

The mosaic's central roundel is displayed at the British Museum.

Cover of The Ledger of Lost Britain by Cale Mills
Read the full story in the book

The Ledger of Lost Britain

The Romans arrived in AD 43. For most people that is where the history of Britain begins. But by the time the legions landed, people had already been living on these islands for thousands of years. They had hunted, farmed, mined flint, dragged stones across the country, raised a hill by hand, and buried their dead in great tombs. They left no written words. What they left was the ground itself. Every place in this book can be visited, or has been dug up, or is in a museum.

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