{"id":32777,"date":"2026-09-01T14:55:10","date_gmt":"2026-09-01T18:55:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/?p=32777"},"modified":"2026-09-01T14:55:10","modified_gmt":"2026-09-01T18:55:10","slug":"1500-year-old-amulet-discovered-in-turkey-could-hold-biblical-secret","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/2026\/09\/1500-year-old-amulet-discovered-in-turkey-could-hold-biblical-secret","title":{"rendered":"1,500-Year-Old Amulet Discovered in Turkey Could Hold Biblical Secret"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Left: NORTHERN IMAGERY \/ Shutterstock.com | Right: AI<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A 1,500-year-old amulet discovered in Turkey contained a thin piece of gold that could be a biblical passage according to researchers. The amulet was discovered in T\u00fcrkmen Karah\u00f6y\u00fck, near Konya. This is the third season of excavations for the site after 6 years of surveying the area. The amulet was made of copper, which had been corroded through the years. Researchers date the amulet around the 4th<\/sup> or 5th<\/sup> century AD. Inside the amulet was a paper-thin gold sheet with an inscription on it. Although the inscription has yet to be translated, researchers believe it is of Christian origin.<\/p>\n

Associate Professor Dr. Michele R\u00fczgar Massa, who serves as co-director of the excavation, spoke with the Turkish Andalou Agency<\/em><\/a> about the discovery. \u201cWe found a Christian amulet dating back to the 4th or 5th century AD. Inside a copper box, there is a very thin, 0.1 millimeter gold plate with what is most likely a passage from the Bible written on it. It belonged to a small child,\u201d he said. \u201cSo we can think of it as an evil eye amulet. These kinds of amulets are not very common. As far as we know, one similar example was found in Germany.\u201d The \u201cevil eye<\/a>\u201d refers to a malevolent gaze, usually brought on by envy, that falls upon the victim. Amulets like the one discovered were believed to offer protection from such looks. The inclusion of the gold sheet, which is believed to hold a Bible passage, could indicate a sense of comfort the wearer gained in a time when printed Bibles were unavailable.<\/p>\n

The region where the amulet was found is also significant in biblical history. The area of \u00a0central Anatolia is the area where the apostle Paul took his missionary journeys through Asia Minor. It offers insight into the ancient lives of various cultures. Associate Professor Dr. H\u00fcseyin Erpehlivan, the Deputy Head of the excavation, shared more about the region\u2019s significance. \u201cT\u00fcrkmen Karah\u00f6y\u00fck holds a significant position in terms of Anatolian archaeology. Konya is located in the heart of Anatolia, a region where cultures intersect,\u201d said Erpehlivan. \u201cT\u00fcrkmen Karah\u00f6y\u00fck is not an excavation focused on a single period. We are investigating a multi-layered settlement extending from the Late Hellenistic period through the Iron Age, Bronze Age, and even earlier periods.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A 1,500-year-old amulet discovered in Turkey contained a thin piece of gold that could be a biblical passage according to researchers. The amulet was discovered in T\u00fcrkmen Karah\u00f6y\u00fck, near Konya. This is the third season of excavations for the site after 6 years of surveying the area. The amulet was made of copper, which had…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":516,"featured_media":32780,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32777","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n1,500-Year-Old Amulet Discovered in Turkey Could Hold Biblical Secret<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A 1,500-year-old Christian amulet found in Turkey contains a thin gold sheet believed to feature a Bible passage offering divine protection.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/2026\/09\/1500-year-old-amulet-discovered-in-turkey-could-hold-biblical-secret\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" 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