The Riha Hoard
This paten, chalice, and fan were said to have been found together at Riha, a small village south of Aleppo in central Syria. Their burial in this area was probably in response to invasions during the early seventh century by Sasanian and Arab forces and, because their owners had to flee or were killed, the silver objects were not retrieved until the early twentieth century. This group and silver treasures from nearby Stuma, Hama, and Antioch were discovered at about the same time, and it has been suggested that these individual hoards actually constituted one large group brought together for protective burial, which was divided into smaller sets after it was unearthed about one hundred years ago.
The chalice, paten, and fan are each impressed with stamps that indicate the emperor's reign during which it was made. The chalice was fabricated during the reign of Justinian I (527-65), while the paten and fan belong to the reign of his successor, Justin II (565-78). Although the chalice's date indicates that it was not made along with the paten and fan, the three may well have been used together at a subsequent date. They form a set for use in the Orthodox Eucharist, or Communion: the paten held the leavened bread, still a tradition in Orthodox worship, the chalice contained the wine, and the fan was used to keep insects away from the bread and the wine. Jesus instituted the Eucharist, as recorded in the gospels of Matthew (26:26-28) and Mark (14:22-24): offerings of bread and wine to the apostles that foreshadowed the sacrifice of Christ's body and blood.
