{"id":14503,"date":"2026-02-10T09:25:46","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T14:25:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/christnewstoday\/?p=14503"},"modified":"2026-02-10T09:25:46","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T14:25:46","slug":"archaeologists-find-signs-ancient-christians-worshiped-beside-followers-of-another-faith-1500-years-ago","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/christnewstoday\/2026\/02\/archaeologists-find-signs-ancient-christians-worshiped-beside-followers-of-another-faith-1500-years-ago.html","title":{"rendered":"Archaeologists Find Signs Ancient Christians Worshiped Beside Followers of Another Faith 1,500 Years Ago"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
DFG project Rural Settlements of the Sasanian Period \/ Tamm, Wicke<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Archaeologists working in northern Iraq say they have uncovered striking new evidence that ancient Christians lived and worshiped alongside followers of a now little-known faith some 1,500 years ago, offering a rare glimpse into a region where religious diversity once flourished under often-challenging conditions.<\/p>\n

The discovery was announced by Goethe University Frankfurt and made public in December following excavations at the Gird-\u00ee Kazhaw site in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. The work began in late summer 2025 and focused on a large building complex dating to around A.D. 500, during the height of the Sasanian Empire.<\/p>\n

At first, archaeologists were unsure what the ancient structure had been used for. That changed when they uncovered five square stone pillars that strongly suggested the building may have functioned as a church. Further geophysical scans revealed additional underground walls, leading researchers to believe the site may have been part of a larger monastic complex. More stone pillars hinted at a possible three-nave layout, and the remains of what appeared to be a Christian meeting space were also identified.<\/p>\n

Among the most compelling finds was pottery decorated with a Maltese cross, a symbol long associated with early Christianity. Together, the architectural features and artifacts paint a picture of an established Christian presence in the region during a time when Christianity was far from dominant.<\/p>\n

What makes the discovery particularly noteworthy is the site’s proximity to a nearby Sasanian fortification. According to researchers, this suggests that Christians and Zoroastrians lived side by side. Zoroastrianism was the state religion of the Sasanian Empire, which ruled large parts of the Middle East from the third to the seventh century before the rise of Islam reshaped the region’s religious landscape.<\/p>\n

Evidence of Zoroastrians at the site is more indirect, said Alexander Tamm, a professor at Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen\u2013Nuremberg who co-led the excavation. A small fortress nearby appears to have been in use at the same time as the church complex. While no Christian artifacts were found inside the fort, Tamm said it is likely that a military unit stationed there would have been Zoroastrian, given the empire’s religious makeup.<\/p>\n

Tamm emphasized that coexistence between Christians and Zoroastrians in northern Iraq was not unusual. “Religious diversity was common,” he said, noting that Muslims and Christians later lived alongside one another in the same region \u2014 a reality that continues today.<\/p>\n

The two faiths, however, differed sharply in beliefs and practices. Zoroastrianism recognizes multiple deities, while Christianity affirms belief in one God. Burial customs were also dramatically different. Zoroastrians avoided burying the dead in the ground to keep the earth pure, instead using rock-cut niches or vessels. Christians, by contrast, buried their dead in the soil \u2014 a practice that could have been deeply offensive to Zoroastrians.<\/p>\n

Despite those tensions, Tamm said the archaeological evidence points to a degree of mutual adaptation and respect. “They likely respected each other’s customs, even when those practices partially contradicted their own religious teachings,” he explained.<\/p>\n

Researchers were surprised by the size and sophistication of the site, having initially expected to uncover only a small village. Much about early Christianity in Iraq and Iran, Tamm said, remains unknown. “There is still a great deal left to excavate,” he added, stressing that continued discoveries depend on cooperation across faith lines. “For everyone involved, archaeology and the pursuit of knowledge are the priority.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Archaeologists working in northern Iraq say they have uncovered striking new evidence that ancient Christians lived and worshiped alongside followers of a now little-known faith some 1,500 years ago, offering a rare glimpse into a region where religious diversity once flourished under often-challenging conditions. The discovery was announced by Goethe University Frankfurt and made public…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":516,"featured_media":14506,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14503","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nArchaeologists Find Signs Ancient Christians Worshiped Beside Followers of Another Faith 1,500 Years Ago<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Archaeologists in Iraq uncover evidence that early Christians lived and worshiped alongside Zoroastrians 1,500 years ago.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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