Secret symbol of faith in Christ discovered on African mummy

An international team of anthropologists led by Kari A. Gilbeau of Purdue University analyzed the remains of what appears to be an adult male who was buried in a cemetery in Ghazali, Sudan. A mysterious tattoo was revealed on his leg.

Study published in Antiquity magazine. The analysis affected the remains of “individual Ghz-1-002,” which is how scientists designated the remains of an adult found in Ghazali. So far they are only assuming that it was a man.

A rather rare tattoo was discovered on his right leg. A visualization method using different light spectra helped to detect it. The data obtained made it possible to recreate the tattoo, which was only the second discovered on the territory of medieval Nubia.

The town of Ghazali is located in the Bayuda Desert in Sudan. The area was continuously inhabited from 680 to 1275 AD. Its main object was a monastery with two churches and living quarters. A monastery surrounded by a strong wall.

There was a settlement next to it. Previously, ancient iron smelting workshops and four cemeteries were excavated here. The remains of a man with a tattoo on his leg were excavated at one of them, located south of the monastery. According to scientists, it could have been used by the monastic community.

“Individual Ghz-1-002” was buried in a stone coffin aligned on a northwest-southeast axis. The body was wrapped in a shroud and buried in an extended position on its back, with its head to the west. The right hand was placed along the thigh. Macromorphological studies showed that at the time of death, this man was presumably 35-50 years old.

Radiocarbon dating of the bones’ collagen gave a range of possible burial dates: the individual was buried between 667 and 774 AD. His remains were partially mummified naturally. When analyzing them, scientists noticed a small area on the dorsum of the right foot, which differed in color from neighboring areas of dried skin.

The tattoo is a Christogram of three Greek letters. Фото: Kari A. Guilbault, Purdue University, Antiquity

The area was photographed multiple times in the full spectrum, from ultraviolet to infrared light, as well as visible light using a special filter.

As a result, a tattoo with an area of ​​16 × 26 mm was revealed. Experts say that it was made in accordance with the symbolism that existed at that time in Ghazali. The drawing consisted of three signs, or rather three Greek letters, superimposed on each other and forming the so-called Christogram.

This is a well-known sign of faith and veneration of Christ in Christian symbolism. Scientists were surprised by the stylistically atypical arrangement of the tattoo, which made it possible to talk about it as a personal sign of faith.

The tattoo was applied so that it could be easily hidden from others. The authors of the discovery do not rule out that the owner of the tattoo was a pilgrim who decided to go on a long journey on foot. In order not to expose himself to unnecessary danger, he hid the sign of faith from prying eyes, but at the same time he could see it himself at any moment.

Until now, only one somewhat similar case was known in the territory of the former medieval Nubia: in 2015, as part of another study, the monogram of the Archangel Michael (MIXAHΛ) was discovered on the thigh of a woman who died at the age of 20-35 years.

At the same time, the researchers note that tattoos turned out to be typical for the inhabitants of North Africa, they were especially common in the territory of modern Morocco and Ethiopia.

In total, tattoos have been found on approximately 45 mummified people in the Nile Valley, both in ancient Nubia and Egypt. However, almost all of them date from about 3100 BC to 74 AD. Two medieval tattoos are currently an exception to the rule.

It is also interesting that ancient tattoos were mostly simple dots and lines. There are only four known cases in which their carriers were men; in all other situations they were found on the remains of women.