Archaeologists may have stumbled upon a shrine holding an artifact tied to Moses receiving the Ten Commandments while conducting excavations at the site of a church.
According to a press release from Innsbruck University, a marble shrine contained a 1,500-year-old ivory box adorned with Christian motifs. The shrine was first discovered in August 2022, and researchers have been investigating the artifacts ever since.
The item was discovered in Southern Austria under an altar inside a chapel at the summit of Burgbichl, a small hill in the country.
Excavations have been ongoing in the municipality of Irschen by archaeologists since 2016. Researchers shared that during the Roman Empire, it was common for people to settle on hills in the region.
Gerald Grabherr, the lead archaeologist, stressed how important the discovery is, noting that similar artifacts have been found before.
“We know of around 40 ivory boxes of this kind worldwide and, as far as I know, the last time one of these was found during excavations was around 100 years ago – the few pyxes that exist are either preserved in cathedral treasures or exhibited in museums,” Grabherr said in the release.
The press release shares that one of the found motifs shows a man turning his head with a hand reaching out of the sky above him. The hand can be seen placing something between the person’s arms.
“This is the typical depiction of the handing over of the laws to Moses on Mount Sinai, the beginning of the covenant between God and man from the Old Testament,” said Grabherr.
On the artifact, several depictions of biblical figures can also be seen.
Another motif shows a man in a chariot with two horses harnessed to it, as well as the same hand coming out of the clouds, pulling the figure into heaven.
“We assume that this is a depiction of the ascension of Christ, the fulfillment of the covenant with God. The depiction of scenes from the Old Testament and their connection with scenes from the New Testament is typical of late antiquity and thus fits in with our pyx; however, the depiction of the Ascension of Christ with a so-called biga, a two-horse chariot, is very special and previously unknown,” Grabherr said.
Archaeologists were able to uncover two Christian churches during their excavation, along with a cistern and the belongings of those who lived there.
Further investigations into the origins of the ivory box, its metallic components, and the wooden parts found inside are being conducted.
“The archaeological and art-historical significance of the pyx cannot be denied,” Grabherr said.