Die Lotharkreutz Back in the chaos as the western Roman empire was beginning its transformation into the entity that would later become loosely known as Europe, there was considerable recycling of gems as the different tribes gradually settled into what would become more permanent homes (see our recent post on the topic athttp://tinyurl.com/o33daun). Plunder from the sacking of Roman cities was spread around the continent, and gradually cemented into the growing royal treasuries of the shifting kingdoms of groups like the Franks. They were given as dowries and tribute, and gradually assembled into new permutations that trace the development of countries through their jewellery habits and fashions. The gem encrusted gold piece known as Lothar's cross dates from around 1000CE (with a base added later in the 1300's), and was a processional cross, probably made in Cologne/Koln. Now residing in Aachen cathedral treasury along with other relics of the age of Charlemagne, the emperor of the Franks, who united what is now France and northern Germany in his growing realm, converting pagans by the sword as he consolidated his new Christian realm. The main stone visible on the front (the rear shows an early Romanesque crucifiction) is a cameo of the Roman emperor Augustus holding an eagle, symbol of rulership. While it was recycled, it also served a political-magical purpose of associating the new ruler with the Caesars of old. When Carolus Magnus passed on, his realm was divided between his sons, being too big to rule easily with the logistical difficulties of the time (for example the Roman roads had decayed, making transport much slower than a few centuries earlier). At the base is an engraved rock crystal carved with the face and name of Lothair, who inherited the German part of the kingdom, which was itself recycled when the cross was made a century later, cementing a second sacred connection with the current ruler's ancestors. It is thought to have been Lothair's personal seal. The cross itself measures 50 x 38.5 x 2.3 cm, and has a core of oak covered in gold and adorned with 137 gems of varied origin. Other recycled stones include an amethyst carved with the three graces and an onyx lion. Loz Image credit: Carolus Ludovicus