Byzantine silver
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Silver was important in Byzantine art and society more broadly as it was the most precious metal right after gold.[1] Byzantine silver was prized in official, religious, and domestic realms. Aristocratic homes had silver dining ware, and in churches silver was used for crosses, liturgical vessels such as the patens and chalices required for every Eucharist.[1] The imperial offices periodically issued silver coinage[2] and regulated the use of silver through control stamps. About 1,500 silver plates and crosses survive from the Byzantine era.[2]