Water Newton Treasure
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The Water Newton Treasure is a hoard of Roman silverware, discovered near the Roman town of Durobrivae at Water Newton in the English county of Cambridgeshire. The nature of the objects suggests they may have been used in a local church.
The hoard of 4th century Roman silver was discovered during ploughing in February 1975. It was probably buried by an inhabitant of the nearby Roman fortified garrison town of Durobrivae. The silver plates and bowls, votive tokens engraved and embossed with the labarum (the chi-rho cross), and an unengraved standing two-handled cup of the form (cantharus) later used as chalices comprise the earliest probable group of Christian liturgical silver yet found in the Roman Empire. Due to the importance of this find, it is now in the British Museum, with replicas at Peterborough Museum.
