Very old Priest hand cross 'Meskel' from Aksum, Ethiopia. Coptic priests used hand crosses in order to bless the faithful or in order to have to cross kissed by the faithful. Therefore, hand crosses had to be light and easy to carry. They are generally in three parts: the cross itself, the shaft and the base, which is to act as counterbalance. Every Ethiopian priest has a hand cross (Meskel in Amharic) with which he blesses the faithful. The Cross is handcrafted by the lost-wax method, and is a unique piece.
The oldest hand crosses are sometimes more than 1000 years old. The material used for these very old ones is almost always copper. Ever since the 18th century, alloys with other metals have been found. From the 19th century silver was increasingly used in such an alloy. This cross is from the early 1900 and is made of an alloy of silver, copper and nickel.
