Scientists from the Leibniz-Zentrum für Archäologie (LEIZA) and the Technical University of Munich (TUM) used neutron tomography and radiography to look inside the 800-year-old amulet, writes Artnet.
Five cloth bags containing small bone fragments, a piece of silk cord and a piece of wax were found in it.
Perhaps, this pendant is a phylactery. Relics are stored in such artifacts. They are believed to protect. In the Middle Ages, they were used as part of an altar or worn by themselves.
Religious duty may explain why the bones were placed in the pendant. But the LEIZA team is in no rush to draw a conclusion because they cannot say whether the remains belong to the saint and, if so, to whom.
Experts have used modern technology to avoid opening the artifact manually.
“Centuries of corrosion have damaged it badly, especially the lock. To open the pendant is to destroy it without hoping for repair,” explains Matthias Heinzel, restorer at the Leibniz-Zentrum for Archeology (Lieja).
The pendant was discovered in 2008 in a medieval garbage dump in the Old Town area of Mainz. The artwork is made of copper. And the shape resembles a quatrefoil. It depicts Jesus, Virgin Mary, disciples and saints. The find dates back to the 12th century.
