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Frank's Casket

A whalebone casket engraved with Germanic pagan stories. The style of the depiction of the images reflects the transition from Germanic paganism to Christianity, most notably in the use of scenic depictions. The written inscriptions on the casket contain both Runic and Roman alphabet letters. The images depicted on the casket include the coming of the Magi (the story of the three Wisemen), Romulus and Remus (the legendary founders of Rome), and the conquest of Jerusalem by Titus. -British Museum, London

Provenance: Northumbria, England
Dates from: VII