Archaeologists in Turkey have unearthed a 1,500-year-old Christian amulet containing a paper-thin sheet of gold — and experts believe it may contain a biblical passage.The discovery, made at the Türkmen Karahöyük archaeological site in Konya, central Turkey, was reported by Turkish state media outlet Anadolu Agency (AA) earlier this summer. An international team of roughly 60 researchers from 13 countries was excavating the site when the amulet was discovered.ANCIENT CLUE CRACKS OPEN A 2,000-YEAR-OLD MYSTERY NEAR FAMED COLOSSEUMThe amulet dates back to the fourth or fifth centuries A.D.— a formative time in Christian history.Inside its copper case is a thin, 0.1-millimeter gold sheet on which a passage from the Bible was "most likely" written, AA reported.
It is still unclear which biblical passage it contains.Archaeologists in Turkey recently unearthed a 1,500-year-old Christian amulet containing a paper-thin sheet of gold at Türkmen Karahöyük.(Fine Art Images/Heritage Images via Getty Images; Serhat Cetinkaya/Anadolu via Getty Images)Pictures show the amulet as a small, dark and heavily corroded artifact — with researchers carefully examining and cleaning it.Excavation co-director Michele Rüzgar Massa told AA that these types of amulets "are not very common."LOST PAGES WITH 'GHOST' TEXT RECOVERED FROM ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOST IMPORTANT NEW TESTAMENT MANUSCRIPTS"As far as we know, one similar example was found in Germany," said Massa, who added that the amulet likely belonged to a small child."In other words, you can think of it like an evil-eye charm," he said.Researchers believe the thin gold sheet inside the Christian amulet "most likely" contains a passage from the Bible.
(Serhat Cetinkaya/Anadolu via Getty Images)Archaeologists also found older artifacts, including a stone seal with a hieroglyphic Luwian inscription.The Luwians were an ancient people who inhabited parts of Anatolia during the Bronze and Iron Ages, and the seal dates back to roug...