Scientists in Sudan have discovered a tattoo that reads: Jesus Christ About a 1,300-year-old body unearthed in a cemetery near a medieval monastery.
This is the second time tattoos have been discovered in medieval Nubia, members of the Polish Center for Mediterranean Archeology (PCMA) at the University of Warsaw, who are carrying out excavations and research at the site known as Ghazali, have announced. statement. Nubia is a region that includes parts of present-day Egypt and Sudan.
The tattoo, which appears to be a man, is on the right leg and features what scholars call the “Kai Lo” symbol, along with the Greek letters alpha and omega, the statement said.
Related: Jesus wasn’t the only one crucified. Learn the history behind this brutal practice.
According to the statement, the Chi-Rho symbol combines the Greek letters “chi” and “rho” to form an abbreviation for Christ, which was first used around the time Constantine became emperor around 324 A.D. It has been pointed out that it was used. roman empire. The letters Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet and represent the Christian belief that God is the beginning and end of everything, the statement said.
The location of the tattoo on his right foot is interesting, as it is possible that Christ had nails driven into this spot during his crucifixion. robert starkPCMA bioarchaeologist, and Kari GuilbeaultA bioarchaeologist who studies tattoo practices at Purdue University in Indiana told Live Science in a co-authored email. Stark and Guilbeault were part of the team that discovered and analyzed the tattoo.
Stark and Guilbeault said the tattoo indicated the person was a Christian, but it was unclear whether he was a monk. Stark and Guilbeault said the man was not buried in the same cemetery as the monastery’s monks, but in a cemetery that may have been used by members of a nearby community.
Radiocarbon dating determined that this person lived between 667 and 774. At the time, Christianity was the main religion in the area, so it was “very common,” Stark and Guilbeault said. His age at the time of death was probably between 35 and 50 years old.
The remains were discovered during an excavation in 2016, but “the tattoos have only recently been revealed through additional post-excavation analysis and full-spectrum photography,” Stark and Guilbeault said.
Excavations were carried out in Ghazali by a Polish and Sudanese team between 2012 and 2018. artur obowski, Professor of Archeology at the University of Warsaw. Analysis of the finds is ongoing.