Archaeological discovery of amulet shows evidence of early spread of Christianity
A small, silver amulet found by a skeleton in a nearly 2000-year-old grave in Frankfurt, Germany may offer new insights into the early spread of Christianity throughout the Roman Empire.
German officials announced the discovery last week -- a small piece of silver foil less than 1.5 inches in size, found in a grave that dates to between 230-270 A.D., that is engraved with 18 lines of religious text. It represents the earliest known evidence of Christianity north of the Alps, predating other archaeological evidence of the spread of the religion throughout that region by decades.
"This extraordinary find touches on many research areas and will keep science busy for a long time to come," Dr. Ina Hartwig, Frankfurt's Head of Culture and Science, said in a translated statement released by the city. This concerns archaeology just like religious studies, philology or anthropology. Such an important find here in Frankfurt is really something extraordinary."
Six years of discovery
The amulet was first discovered in 2018 during an excavation of what was once the ancient Roman city of Nida, located outside of what is today the city of Frankfurt.
"During the excavation, not only a grave, but a complete Roman cemetery was uncovered," Marcus Gwechenberger, Frankfurt's Head of the Department of Planning and Housing, said. "These are finds of inestimable value."
In one particular grave, researchers found the skeleton of a person, who was buried along with an incense chalice and pottery. Under the chin was the amulet, also known as a phylactery, likely worn around the person's neck.
Archaeologists examined the amulet and rolled up silver foil it contained through X-rays in 2019, but the item was too delicate and brittle to unfurl.
In May 2024, there was a breakthrough. Researchers were able to use a state-of-the-art computer tomograph at the Leibniz Center for Archaeology in Mainz, Germany to decipher the text.
"The challenge in the analysis was that although the silver sheet was rolled, it was of course also crumpled and pressed after about 1,800 years," said Dr. Ivan Calandra, Head of the Imaging Laboratory and the Leibniz Center.
Scanning the silver foil piece by piece, researchers were able to create a decipherable rendering of portions of the text.
"Sometimes it took weeks, even months, until I had the next idea. I consulted experts from the history of theology, among others, and bit by bit we approached the text together and finally deciphered it," Goethe University's Dr. Markus Scholz said.
The final translation reads as follows:
(In the name?) of Saint Titus
Holy, holy, holy!
In the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God!
The Lord of the world resists [to the best of his ability?] all seizures (?)/setbacks (?).
The God (?) grants entry to well-being
This means of salvation protects
the human being who surrenders himself to
the will
of the Lord Jesus Christ, God's Son,
since all knees bow before Jesus Christ
the heavenly,
the earthly and
the subterranean, and every tongue
confesses (Jesus Christ).
Researchers said that the text is unusual for the time in that it contains no references to Judaism or other pagan faiths, and is written entirely in Latin instead of Greek or Hebrew.
The amulet is also decades older than other known historical references to Christianity in that region, making the find perhaps the earliest known evidence of the spread of Christianity in what is today Germany in the third century.
Max Hauptman is a Trending Reporter for Paste BN. He can be reached at MHauptman@gannett.com.