Archaeologists uncover earliest Christian inscription north of the Alps in Frankfurt

An ancient silver amulet unearthed in Frankfurt has been revealed as one of the earliest known testimonies of Christianity in Northern Europe, pushing back the history of Christianity in the region by several decades. The amulet, discovered in 2018 during excavations at a Roman cemetery in the Frankfurt district of Praunheim, was presented by the city of Frankfurt at a press conference on Wednesday, unveiling its significant historical implications.

The small silver amulet, approximately three and a half centimeters long with two loops on top, was found in a grave dated between 230 and 270 CE—a time when openly identifying as a Christian could be life-threatening due to ongoing persecution. Inside the amulet was a fragile, inscribed silver foil, known as the "Frankfurt Silver Inscription," which was so delicate that unrolling it would have caused it to crumble. Researchers sought assistance from the Leibniz Center for Archaeology in Mainz, where they utilized a computed tomography scanner to virtually unwrap and decipher the inscription.

Markus Scholz, an ancient historian from Goethe University Frankfurt, led the effort to decode the 18-line Latin inscription. "Sometimes it took weeks, even months, until I had the next idea," Scholz stated, as reported by T-Online. The text includes invocations to Jesus Christ, entirely in Latin. "That's unusual for this time. Normally, such inscriptions in amulets were written in Greek or Hebrew," Scholz noted, according to Firmenpresse Science.

The inscription begins with a mention of Saint Titus, a disciple and confidant of the Apostle Paul, and includes a prayer to "Jesus Christ, Son of God," intended to protect the bearer. It also features the Trisagion—the "Holy, Holy, Holy"—known from Christian liturgy in the 4th century CE. The inscription concludes with an almost literal quote from the Christ hymn of Paul from his letter to the Philippians (Philippians 2:10-11).

Experts consider this discovery extraordinary for its time and location. Süddeutsche Zeitung reported that the find "pushes back the history of Christianity in Frankfurt and beyond by about 50 to 100 years." Until now, secure evidence for Christian life in the northern Alpine regions of the Roman Empire generally dated from the 4th century CE.

The man buried with the amulet was aged between 35 and 45 and had been interred with grave goods, including a censer and a jug made of fired clay. The presence of the Christian inscription suggests that he openly identified himself as a believing Christian, which was a significant risk during a period of persecution. As reported by Bild, this indicates the depth of his commitment during a time when practicing Christianity could be life-threatening.

"The first Christian north of the Alps was a Frankfurter," remarked Frankfurt's Planning Department Head, Marcus Gwechenberger, according to Stern.

"This extraordinary find touches many areas of research and will occupy science for a long time. This concerns archaeology as well as religious studies, philology, or anthropology. Such a significant find here with us in Frankfurt is really something extraordinary," said Frankfurt's Cultural and Science Department Head, Dr. Ina Hartwig.

The discovery challenges previous historical assumptions about the spread of Christianity in the region. Nida, the Roman predecessor city to modern Frankfurt, was an administrative, economic, and religious center known as the main town of the Roman administrative unit Civitas Taunensium. "The text of the inscription shows that Nida at this time was not a peripheral border region but had cultural influences from the whole Empire, especially since the population came from various parts of the world empire," Scholz said.

"The challenge in the analysis was that the silver sheet was rolled but after about 1800 years also crumpled and pressed. Using the CT, we were able to scan it in very high resolution and create a 3D model," said Dr. Ivan Calandra from the Leibniz Center.

Further scientific examinations of the bones are expected to provide insights into the man's origin. Researchers aim to clarify whether the deceased was a resident citizen of Nida or had migrated from elsewhere. Spektrum der Wissenschaft reported that isotope analyses are currently being conducted on the bones.

This article was written in collaboration with generative AI company Alchemiq