In 2018, archaeologists discovered an ancient silver amulet north of the Alps, which they later recognized as the oldest known Christian artifact in the region. What they couldn’t crack, however, was a scroll stuck inside the small relic – a scroll that couldn’t be unrolled for fear of the brittle paper crumbling. Now, six years later, researchers in the German city of Frankfurt have gained an unprecedented insight into the mysterious artifact thanks to cutting-edge technology.

The amulet itself was only 1.3 inches tall and was found in a burial ground in the Roman city of Nida, today’s Frankfurt, and probably dates from between 230 and 270 AD. The scroll it contained was already visible during excavations, but since it had been rolled up for centuries, no further attempts could be made The researchers believed that if it were to be unfolded, it would fall apart. Microscopic analyzes and x-rays could not provide any further information about the contents of the scroll.

Archaeologists unearth the amulet. Photo: Michael Obst, with kind permission of the City of Frankfurt am Main Monument Office.

An answer was finally provided by the state-of-the-art computer tomography at the Leibniz Center for Archeology (LEIZA) in Mainz, which enabled researchers at the beginning of the year to “digitally unroll” the brittle silver foil – not unlike the technology used in the efforts to decipher the scrolls of Herculaneum . The result was a high-resolution 3D model of the scroll’s 18-line inscription.

The silver amulet with a scroll. Photo: Archaeological Museum Frankfurt.

The inscription is written in Latin, an unusual choice for Christian amulets of the time. It contains invocations to Jesus Christ and Saint Titus, a Greek missionary who lived in the 2nd centurynd Century AD More typical of early Christian amulets, it celebrates the power of the Heavenly Father while referencing passages from the Bible. However, unlike other early Christian artifacts, the amulet makes no mention of the Jewish and pagan traditions that influenced the still-developing religion.

“(In the name?) of Saint Titus / Holy, holy, holy! / In the name of Jesus Christ, Son of God! / The Lord of the world / resists with (forces?) all attacks (?)/setbacks (?) / The God (?) grants / access to well-being,” the inscription reads in part.

“Sometimes it took weeks, even months, until I had the next idea,” Markus Scholz of Frankfurt’s Goethe University, who led the research project, said in a statement. “Among other things, I called in experts from the history of theology, and together we approached the text piece by piece and finally deciphered it.”

Photo of the inscribed text, unrolled. Photo: LEIZA.

“The unusual thing,” he continues, “is that the inscription is written entirely in Latin.” Such inscriptions in amulets were usually written in Greek or Hebrew.” The quality of the inscription, not to mention its tiny size, suggests this conclude that it was made by a trained scribe or craftsman.

The amulet is direct evidence of Christian communities living in Upper Germany and Gaul, a region in modern-day France, in the late 2nd centurynd and 3approx Centuries AD. Most other evidence dates to the early 4th centuryTh Century AD, after the edict of Emperor Constantine of Milan transformed Christianity from a persecuted cult into an officially recognized, tolerated faith.

The find is important not only for the study of early Christianity, but also for the cultural and historical heritage of the city of Frankfurt.

“This discovery,” remarked the city’s mayor, Mike Josef, after deciphering the inscription, “is 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. The first Christian discovery north of the Alps came from our city, and we can be proud of that, especially now, just before Christmas. Those involved did a great job.”

Deciphering the inscription is sure to reinvigorate debate among scholars of early Christianity and Roman history, two closely related topics with unclear but culturally relevant origins.