Project information
Altar Space in Late Antiquity: The Water Newton Treasure and the Construction of the Sacred Space

Project Identification
MUNI/A/1406/2022
Project Period
1/2023 - 12/2023
Investor / Pogramme / Project type
Masaryk University
MU Faculty or unit
Faculty of Arts

The project will focus on the Water Newton treasure (British Museum, London). The treasure is one of the case studies of the proposer’s PhD thesis, investigating the altar space in Late-antique Christian churches in its material composition, i.e., how the material culture conveyed the sacredness of such space. As the earliest example of Christian liturgical and votive treasure (4th century), the Water Newton hoard has a key role in this research. Thus, the project will be the occasion to have a deeper insight into this specific topic. The approach will include a comparison with the extant material culture of the period, and the coeval depictions of the altar space. Laying on previous literature, a link will be highlighted with the written sources, not only from a liturgical perspective (namely with the Eucharist performance) but also including church inventories. The project will include a study trip to London to see the treasure and visit libraries and specialists in the field. The final output will be a peer-reviewed article suitable for publication, presenting the result of the research.

Sustainable Development Goals

Masaryk University is committed to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, which aim to improve the conditions and quality of life on our planet by 2030.

Sustainable Development Goal No.  4 – Quality education

You are running an old browser version. We recommend updating your browser to its latest version.