Les coupes en verre à décor chrétien découvertes en Belgique (fin ve-début vie siècle)

Abstract

Cups with Christian decoration are small vessels of mold-blown glass, the bottoms of which bear Christian motifs in relief. Several of these have been found in Merovingian contexts on the territory of present day Belgium. A new inventory is presented in this paper. A conscientious contextual approach has enabled us to date the vessels more precisely and to study their spatial distribution. Thanks to chemical analyses, we now further understand the materials and techniques used to produce them. Finally, the iconographic dossier has been improved by numerous photos and drawings. At the end of this work, it appears that the cups are excellent evidence of different aspects of the Merovingian culture, society and economy in Belgium.