It was last read by a human 1,800 years ago, when Christianity was regarded a burgeoning cult.
Now, scientists have finally deciphered the ‘Frankfurt silver inscription’ – an 18-line engraving on a thin piece of foil, housed in a protective amulet.
Measuring 1.4 inches (3.5cm) long, the 1,800-year-old silver amulet was found with the skeleton of a man at a burial site on the outskirts of Frankfurt, Germany.
Researchers have used CT scans to ‘digitally unroll’ the ‘wafer thin’ foil and read the inscription within for the first time since the 3rd century AD.
Incredibly, the text represents the oldest known evidence of Christianity north of the Alps, dating back to between 230 and 270 AD, scientists say.
At the time, Christianity was still spreading over Europe from its historical origin of Judaea in the Middle East.
Described as ‘purely Christian’, the Latin text makes references to Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, as well as Saint Titus, an early Christian missionary and church leader.
Scroll down for the full translation – never before read by 21st century humans until now.
The mysterious 1,800-year-old silver amulet was discovered in Germany in 2018 – but scientists have finally read the inscription within
Measuring 1.4 inches (3.5cm) long, the 1,800-year-old silver amulet was found with the remains of a man who died in the 3rd century AD
The stunning findings were led by the Leibniz Center for Archaeology (LEIZA) in Mainz and published by the City of Frankfurt.
‘The challenge in the analysis was that the silver sheet was rolled, but after around 1,800 years, it was of course also creased and pressed,’ said Ivan Calandra, archaeologist at LEIZA.
‘Using CT, we were able to scan it at a very high resolution and create a 3D model.’
The silver amulet was discovered in 2018 in northwest Frankfurt in the former Roman city of Nida, a predecessor of modern-day Frankfurt.
It was taken from the grave of a man who was also buried with an incense bowl and a jug made of fired clay – potentially personal effects of the individual.
The amulet was positioned under the man’s chin and experts think he once wore it on a cord around his neck, to give protection into the afterlife.
Crucially, the man’s grave has been dated to between 230 and 270 AD – at a time when Christianity was a steadily expanding cult but still subject to persecutions.
At the time, the predominant religions were Judaism and paganism – and it was a risk to reveal oneself as a Christian.
Researchers have used CT scans to ‘digitally unroll’ the foil and read the inscription for the first time since the 3rd century AD
The stunning ornament was taken from the grave of a man dated to between 230 and 270 AD
Pictured, digital scan of the thin foil carrying the holy inscription
Deciphering the 18 lines of text was led by Professor Markus Scholz, an archaeologist from Goethe University in Frankfurt.
The wafer-thin silver foil itself is too brittle and fragile to simply roll up due to the long time it has spent in the ground.
It would fall apart if attempts were made to unroll it, so the team used an x-ray imaging procedure called computer tomography at LEIZA.
They virtually placed individual segments of the scan together piece by piece until the words were visible – although there are still gaps in the text.
‘I called in experts from the history of theology, among others, and we approached the text together, piece by piece, and finally deciphered it,’ Professor Scholz said.
Aside from the fact that the wearer of the amulet was clearly a devout Christian, what’s also unusual is that the inscription is written entirely in Latin.
‘Such inscriptions in amulets were usually written in Greek or Hebrew,’ Professor Scholz added.
Also, up until the 5th century, precious metal amulets of this type always contain a mixture of different faiths, such as Judaism or pagan influences.
The Roman Empire was a huge territorial empire that existed between 27 BC and AD 476, spanning across Europe and North Africa with Rome as its centre. This map marks out the Roman Empire in red at its greatest extent (117 AD)
The Latin text makes references to Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, as well as Saint Titus, an early Christian missionary and church leader (depicted here)
But the experts describe this amulet as ‘purely Christian’ because there are no pagan references such as demons or elements of Judaism.
Neither Yahweh, the almighty God of Judaism, nor the archangels Raphael, Gabriel, Michael or Suriel are mentioned, nor are any of Israel’s forefathers such as Isaac or Jacob.
Ultimately, the biggest surprise is the location and age of the amulet and the man, who clearly considered his Christian faith so important that he took it with him to the grave.
Such early, authentic evidence (between 230 and 270 AD) of pure Christianity north of the Alps has never existed before now.
Experts consider him the ‘first Christian north of the Alps’, although the fact this individual exists suggests there could be more historical Christian burial sites around Europe yet to be discovered.
Frankfurt’s mayor Mike Josef called the inscription ‘a scientific sensation’.
‘It will force us to turn back the history of Christianity in Frankfurt and far beyond by around 50 to 100 years,’ he said.
‘The first Christian find north of the Alps comes from our city – we can be proud of that, especially now, so close to Christmas.’
Dr Ina Hartwig, Frankfurt’s head of culture and science, said: ‘This extraordinary find affects many areas of research and will keep science busy for a long time to come.
‘This affects archaeology as well as religious studies, philology and anthropology. Such a significant find here in Frankfurt is really something extraordinary.’
