3rd‑century amulet rewrites early Christian history in Europe
Archaeologists have made a groundbreaking discovery of a 3rd-century amulet, which may be the oldest evidence of Christianity north of the Alps. During archaeological research, this find was discovered in Nidda, near Frankfurt am Main.
In 2018, archaeologists made an extraordinary discovery in the town of Nidda, near Frankfurt am Main. An amulet was found on the skeleton of a 3rd-century man, which may be one of the oldest proofs of Christianity north of the Alps.
This bronze amulet is covered with a thin layer of silver foil. Its Latin inscription, consisting of 18 lines of text, is visible.
A team of scientists from Goethe University in Frankfurt, led by Markus Scholz, created a three-dimensional model of the amulet. This model enabled the precise reading of the inscription without disturbing its structure.
Will the amulet change the history of Christianity?
Analysis of the inscription's content revealed numerous references to Christianity, including the names of St. Titus, Jesus, and God.
This discovery is particularly significant because it suggests that Christianity might have reached north of the Alps as early as the 3rd century, which moves the previous estimates back 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 followers of this religion were subject to persecution at that time.
Ina Hartwig, Frankfurt councillor for culture and science, emphasised that the discovery of the amulet is of enormous importance to many fields of science, 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 people's lives during the late Roman Empire.
