Ancient Christian amulet with possible Bible verse found in Turkey: report
Archaeologists excavating an ancient settlement in central Turkey have uncovered a roughly 1,500-year-old Christian amulet holding a thin gold sheet that researchers believe may be inscribed with a passage from the Bible.
The amulet was found at Türkmen Karahöyük, an archaeological site in Turkey's Konya province, according to the state-run Anadolu Agency. An international team of about 60 researchers from 13 countries has been working at the site.
Researchers dated the artifact to the fourth or fifth century A.D., a period when Christianity was expanding throughout the Roman Empire.
The amulet consists of a copper case holding a gold sheet just 0.1 millimeters thick. Researchers believe a biblical passage was "most likely" written on the sheet, though they have not yet determined which one.
Michele Rüzgar Massa, co-director of the excavation, told Anadolu Agency that comparable artifacts are unusual.
"As far as we know, one similar example was found in Germany," Massa said, adding that the amulet may have been worn by a child as a form of spiritual protection.
"In other words, you can think of it like an evil-eye charm," Massa said.
The find comes as excavations at Türkmen Karahöyük continue to reveal evidence of civilizations spanning thousands of years.
Among the other discoveries is a stone seal bearing a hieroglyphic Luwian inscription dating to about 1500 to 1400 B.C. The Luwians were an ancient people who lived in parts of Anatolia during the Bronze and Iron Ages.
Researchers also found two copper seals and a clay seal impression.
Massa said the stone seal bears the name "Kurunti-ziti," which is associated with Kurunta, an important deity in the Hittite world.
"This person did not hold a very high-ranking position, but we can nevertheless see a hierarchy belonging to the bureaucracy and the state," Massa said.
"We can say that this was a major administrative center around 1500-1400 B.C.," he added.
Hüseyin Erpehlivan, deputy director of the excavation, said the site is especially significant because of where it sits.
"Konya is located right in the center of Anatolia, in a region where cultures intersect," Erpehlivan said. "Türkmen Karahöyük is not an excavation focused on a single period."
"We are investigating a multilayered settlement extending from the Late Hellenistic period through the Iron Age and Bronze Age and into even earlier periods," he added.
The amulet is the latest in a series of archaeological discoveries with biblical connections reported in Turkey in recent months.
Earlier this summer, archaeologists at the ancient city of Sardis uncovered a rare marble statue believed to be about 2,500 years old. Sardis, in western Turkey, was home to one of the seven churches addressed in the Book of Revelation.
Also this year, archaeologists found a third-century fresco depicting Jesus as the Good Shepherd in the western Turkish city of Iznik. They say the painting ranks among the oldest known images of Christ as an adult and is exceptionally well preserved because it sat inside a sealed, oxygen-depleted family tomb.
Despite Turkey's deep Christian history, 99% of its population is Muslim, according to the U.S. State Department. In recent years, reports have emerged of Christians being denied reentry to the country after being designated national security threats.
The Association of Protestant Churches’ 2024 Human Rights Violation Report also noted a rise in hate crimes despite Turkey's official claim that it protects religious freedom.
