An Inscription from Bavai and the Fifth-Century Christian Epigraphy of Britain

The consular dated memorial of a military accountant (scrinarius) of A.D. 404 with a chi-rho monogram from Bavai (France, Nord), previously thought to be a forgery, is reconsidered. Geographically close to Britain and well-dated, it is relevant to the origins of post-Roman insular epigraphy and to the possibility of recognising specifi cally Christian tombstones in Roman Britain. The insular series derives from a late antique tradition introduced to Britain via the Christian Church at an uncertain date. There is little sign of continuity with claimed Romano- British Christian tombstones, but an early phase of the insular series can be recognised. Literacy and perhaps the ‘epigraphic habit’ survived in other media.