The unique Hinton St Mary mosaic, on display in The British Museum since 1965 consists of an 8m by 5m high-status tessellated floor with a central roundel showing a man wearing a tunic and cloak in front of the  Christogram (Chi-Rho). Scholars have suggested the figure is one of the earliest representations of Jesus Christ from the ancient world, and probably the first to be found on a mosaic. It is one of the icons of Roman Britain and has an important story to tell about the earliest Christian communities in the British Isles. Despite the obvious significance of the mosaic, however, very little is actually known about the buildings to which it belonged, or the people who commissioned it and lived with it. A new collaborative research project led by The British Museum aims to answer the many questions that remain about the mosaic, and to provide a better understanding of its wider context in the history of late Roman Britain. This talk will present some of the ground-breaking results of the recent archaeological excavations at the site that suggests the mosaic adorned the floor of the earliest purpose-built ‘church’ in Britain.

Dr Peter Guest is an archaeologist and numismatist with over 30 year’s experience as a finds specialist, excavator, researcher, teacher and curator. He specialises in the Roman period and is particularly interested in Britannia and the north western provinces, the Roman army and frontiers, as well as Roman coinage and the economy. Author of over 60 publications, Peter has also contributed to various TV and radio broadcasts, including Time Team, Digging for Britain, The Story of Wales, and was historical consultant for Channel 4’s  Britain’s Most Historic Towns series.