Batimodus Stein [Grabstein des Batimodus] Early Christian Sculptured Stone : The Megalithic Portal and Megalith Map:

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Submitted by Harald_Platta on Monday, 04 May 2015 Page Views: 1663

Iron Age and Later PrehistorySite Name: Batimodus Stein Alternative Name: Grabstein des Batimodus
Country: Germany Land: North Rhine-Westphalia Type: Early Christian Sculptured Stone
Nearest Town: Xanten
Latitude: 51.662559N Longitude: 6.453150E
Condition:

5	Perfect
4	Almost Perfect
3	Reasonable but with some damage
2	Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site
1	Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks
0	No data.
-1	Completely destroyed

5 Ambience:

5	Superb
4	Good
3	Ordinary
2	Not Good
1	Awful
0	No data.

no data Access:

5	Can be driven to, probably with disabled access
4	Short walk on a footpath
3	Requiring a bit more of a walk
2	A long walk
1	In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find
0	No data.

4 Accuracy:

5	co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates
4	co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map
3	co-ordinates scaled from a bad map
2	co-ordinates of the nearest village
1	co-ordinates of the nearest town
0	no data

4

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**Batimodus Stein** submitted by Harald_Platta : The Stone of Batimodus was made around 400 AC and initially was the gravestone of Batimodus, a member of the romanized Germanic tribe of the Bataver. It contains three times the christogram Chi Rho in the crux monogrammatica style. The christogram in the middle contains the Greek alpha and omega as a symbol for Christ. © Platta 2015 (Vote or comment on this photo)

The Gravestone of Batimodus is thought to stem from 400 AC and represents a rare example of an early christian stone in the North Rhine area. It was found in 1954 in a cemetery beneath St. Viktor church (Xantener Dom) in Xanten (North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany).

The sandstone is 68 cm high, 63 cm broad and 17.5 cm thick. The inscription is in Latin and can be translated to: „In peace was incorporated herein Batimodus who lived fifty years and passed away.“ The stone contains several christian symbols. It displays three times the christogram Chi Rho in the crux monogrammatica style. The christogram in the middle harbours also the Greek letters for alpha and omega, which are the first and the last letter of the Greek alphabet and often are used as a symbol for Christ.

It is assumed, that Batimodus belonged to the romanized Germanic tribe of the Bataver and may have lived in the roman city Tricensimae. This highly fortified city was the successor of the destroyed Colonia Ulpia Traiana and lay on the area of today`s Xanten. In the context of their romanization, the Bataver may also have converted to Christianity.

During the 5th century AD, the Bataver had become a part of the Germanic tribe of the Franks, who were already christians and ruled this area after the Romans left. The Gravestone of Batimodus was reused for the burial of a Franconian woman in the early 6th century. Because nothing of the stone was changed, it can be assumed, that the Latin inscription was not understood anymore and that the only important attributes of the stone were the christian symbols.

Today, the Gravestone of Batimodus can be seen in the LVR-Römer-Museum Xanten.

Text References:
[01] Ruhr Museum (Hrsg.): Werdendes Ruhrgebiet. Spätantike und Frühmittelalter an Rhein und Ruhr (2015).
[02] Runde, I.: Xanten im frühen und hohen Mittelalter. Sagentradition – Stiftsgeschichte – Stadtwerdung (2003).
[03] Tiefenbach, H.: Das Batimodus-Stein unter der Stiftskirche St. Viktor in Xanten. In: Beiträge zur Namensforschung N.F. 21 (1986).

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