Tipar de cruce pectorală din secolele X-XII p.Chr. descoperit la Lămășeni – Rădășeni (jud. Suceava)

Abstract

The stone mould was fortuitous revealed in the village of Lămășeni, Rădășeni commune, Suceava County. The carved out negative represents a model of a Byzantine pectoral cross, of small dimensions. The cross had trefoil arms, and it was decorated with geometrical (short lines, ″X″-s), and cruciform motifs. According with the characteristics of the mould (bivalve, but only one valve was recovered), the cross could be casted in lead or silver, materials which have lower melting points. The similarity to other artefacts suggest a dating, roughly, around 10th–12th centuries AD.

Keywords: mould; pectoral cross; Byzantine type; trefoil arms; geometric and cruciform decorations.