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A series of sensational discoveries continues at Viminacium: archaeologists, excavating the necropolis of the southern city, discovered another unique world – the tomb of an early Christian priest from the early 3rd century!
He was buried without a sarcophagus or a walled grave, which at first glance indicated the grave of a poor man. Unexpectedly, under the tool of an archaeologist, objects of value appeared: a huge silver ring with a precious stone and a carved fish and a cruciform anchor, a coil of gold wire and a bronze compass.
– The type of burial did not distinguish this grave from the dozens of similar ones we examine each week, but the precious objects placed next to the deceased indicated an entirely different story. An anchor with a fish on each side is engraved in the gem of the silver ring, and in ancient times they are symbols of Christian, persecuted, illegal and closed communities of the first followers of the new religion that originated in the Middle East – he says prof. Novosti. Dr. Miomir Korać, director of the Archaeological Institute and head of the Viminacium Scientific Project.
The early persecuted Christians used the secret language of signs to recognize each other. These were common symbols of secular Roman art, but they were used in a way that only devotees of the early church could understand. Today’s Christian symbols, and especially the cross, only come into use after the legalization of this religion, in the time of Constantine and Licinius.
For the early Christians, the anchor, the anchor, was a symbol of hope for salvation, because it was generally considered a sign of security in ancient times. With its shape, with a bar at the top, it reminded believers of the cross on which Jesus was crucified, whose symbol was a fish.
– In early Christianity the modern symbol of the cross was not used, but the letter T, similar to the anchor of the viminacium ring. Believers placed infinite faith and hope in Christ, and the symbol of the anchor, the anchor, expressed this metaphorically. Saint Paul says in his “Epistle to the Hebrews”: “… we who have resorted to clinging to the hope that we have before us, we have it as an anchor of the soul, strong and reliable” – quotes Dr. Korac.
The time of burial of the mysterious deceased is estimated in the first half of the third century, and the body, as is the case with Christians today, was buried on the east-west axis. Archaeologists say that this Christian from Viminacium lived in the late second and third centuries, in a historically foggy time, when a new religion was being created that would change the history of mankind.
– Viminacium played a very important role in that story, the new discoveries unequivocally indicate important data. An example is the modest burial of the deceased, who was obviously not poor, because large objects of value were placed next to him. When you look at the whole image, you see that it is an encrypted message. That man belonged to a cult to which the luxurious burial and leaving the memory of existence in this world is irrelevant. The precious objects placed next to him are not there to attest to material wealth. They are symbols that indicate that this man was a great devotee of the cult and that he probably occupied a high place in the spiritual hierarchy – says Dr. Korać.
In addition to the feet of the deceased, archaeologists discovered a compass, a spool of gold wire, and an unknown iron tool, which is currently unrecognizable due to corrosion. The first association with the objects placed in front of the deceased is that they indicate his occupation. Such a practice is not unheard of in the necropolis of Viminacium, where various graves of doctors with their instruments were discovered and buried. However, such a simple interpretation is not always the only one nor is it correct.
– The meaning of the compass and spool of gold thread has yet to be deciphered. The objects to be deposited in the graves are chosen carefully and their possible symbolism must be taken into account. The compass is a tool of the architect, the creator, which is why in the Middle Ages it appeared sporadically as a symbol of divine creative power in representations of the creation of the world. The representation of Christ with the compass can be found on icons, in illuminated manuscripts and in many cathedrals, says Dr. Korać.
The coil of golden wire may be a symbol of “Ariadne’s thread”, a mythical ball of thread from the popular Hellenic myth that allowed the hero to be saved, a way out of a deadly labyrinth.
– Such a salvation story is completely Christian, and we have already said that Christians use popular ancient symbols, only in their own way, as a secret language. In general, it is known that the influence of Hellenic Platonism in the creation of Christianity that we know is extremely great. Viminacium can preserve the code, the real “Da Vinci Code”, which will reveal how the story unfolded.
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