This pewter ingot was found in Battersea. It is one of the few pieces of
evidence we have for Christianity in Roman London. It is stamped with the
Greek letters .. (chi rho, the first two letters of the word 'Christ') and
the Latin words SPES IN DEO, meaning 'Hope in God'.
How can we tell how old it is?
The ingot is also stamped with the name SYAGRI. Who was Syagrius? There
are several candidates. He might be a 5th-century ruler of northern
France, who was murdered in 487. This would make these pewter ingots
Saxon, not Roman. However, Syagrius could be a 4th-century Roman Londoner,
either a Christian metals dealer or a Treasury official.
Roman Christians in London
There were Christians in London during the 4th century ad. Records show
that a Roman London bishop called Restitutus went to the Council of Arles
in ad 314. However, apart from ten pewter ingots and one pewter bowl
bearing Christian symbols, there is no other known evidence of
Christianity in Roman London.
