Time period: 6th-9th Century Country of Origin: Byzantine Material: Tin - Precious metal. Description: The original was found in the Holy Land region (Jordan). Christianity to the Byzantines was more than mere religion. Its theology and practice formed an all-encompassing way of life, permeating every act and decision from the foreign and domestic policies of the emperor to the briefest of small talk at the town square. Byzantine lives were centered on an ordered Christian hierarchy offering salvation through Christ. By the 5th and 6th centuries the cross replaced the Chi-Rho as the standard emblem of religious devotion. Its meaning transcended that of the simple monogram to visually recall the crucifixion. The cross was worn by individuals from every social stratum, from the elaborate bejeweled golden cross of the patriarch to the simple crosses of the common man