Christmas at Archaeological Sites
Before the arrival of Christianity, with its assimilation of previous beliefs and festivals, the period we now call Christmas, around the mid-winter solstice, was also an important annual event for people of many cultures and times. We can see from archaeology how deep this marking of the close of one year and beginning of the next goes back into the past.
The cross – its development as a symbol in early medieval northwest Europe
The cross is the pre-eminent Christian symbol, depicting the execution of Christ in a brutal method reserved by the Roman State as a deterrent for offensive crimes.