The silver chalice and paten (the two vessels used for celebrating the Mass) both bear the monogram of the donor Maria. The chalice is decorated with an elegant knob at the junction of bowl and foot. On the rim of the paten one can read in Greek, "a supplication for the anonymous donors whose names are known only to God". The pair of vessels were for religious use and can be dated to the 6th century. Important religious treasures, discovered mainly in Syria and dating to the 6th and 7th centuries, are very similar to them.
