Ancient amulet challenges the timeline of Christianity in Europe
Archaeologists have made a groundbreaking discovery of a 3rd-century amulet that may be the oldest evidence of Christianity north of the Alps. During archaeological research, this find was uncovered in the town of Nidda, near Frankfurt am Main.
In 2018, archaeologists made an extraordinary discovery in Nidda, near Frankfurt am Main. An amulet was found on the skeleton of a man from the 3rd century, which may be one of the oldest pieces of evidence of Christianity north of the Alps.
This amulet is made of bronze and covered with a thin layer of silver foil. It features a Latin inscription consisting of 18 lines of text.
A team of researchers from Goethe University in Frankfurt, led by Markus Scholz, created a three-dimensional model of the amulet. This model allowed for an accurate reading of the inscription without compromising its structure.
Could the amulet change the history of Christianity?
The inscription's content was analyzed, and numerous references to Christianity were revealed. These included the names of St. Titus, Jesus, and God.
This discovery is particularly significant as it suggests that Christianity might have reached north of the Alps as early as the 3rd century, pushing back previous estimates by about a hundred years. Until now, it was believed that Christianity began to gain significance in this region only in the 4th century. It is worth noting that during that period, this religion's followers were persecuted.
Ina Hartwig, Frankfurt's Councilor for Culture and Science, emphasized that the discovery of the amulet is significant for many scientific fields, such as archaeology, religious studies, and anthropology. She added that the find sheds new light on the early phases of the spread of Christianity in Europe and on the lives of people during the later Roman Empire.
