The first archaeological evidence in the world for the ancient phenomenon of extreme asceticism practiced by nuns was discovered in Jerusalem: analyzing the tooth of a skeleton found wrapped in chains, in an Israel Antiquities Authority excavation, showed it was a female, a nun. This discovery reinforces the understanding that behaviors of extreme asceticism were the domain of both men and women. Dr. Paula Kotli, David Morgenstern and Prof. Elisabetta was conducted by The researchBoaretto of the Weizmann Institute of Science, in collaboration with Dr. Yossi Nagar, Zubair ʼAdawi and Kfir Arbiv from the Israel Antiquities Authority. Since the skeleton was discovered in a poor state of preservation, the Weizmann Institute researchers used an innovative technology (proteome, peptidomic analysis) which enables identifying the skeleton’s biological gender through unique proteins present in the enamel. The study extracted different variations of Amelogenin proteins, which form tooth enamel, from a tooth fragment. As these proteins are encoded by the X/Y sex chromosomes, the researchers were able to determine that the skeleton most reasonably belonged to a woman.
According to the researchers of the Israel Antiquities Authority, Zubair ʼAdawi, Kfir Arbiv and Dr. Yossi Nagar, “The woman was discovered in a single grave, dedicated to her as a sign of honor under the church altar – bema. She was bound with 12-14 rings around the arms or hands, four rings around the neck, and at least 10 rings around the legs. Iron plates or discs on her stomach, which were attached to the rings, gave her skeleton an armored form.”
The nun was discovered in a site lying about three kilometers northwest of Jerusalem’s Old City, and was identified as a Byzantine monastery that operated between the 5th and 7th centuries CE. Besides the monastery and church buildings, the Israel Antiquities Authority excavation uncovered burial crypts under the church altar – bema, in which remains of women, men and children were discovered. In the grave, where the bound skeleton was found, iron rings were discovered around its neck, arms and legs, alongside metal objects, including a small cross.
Interestingly, carrying heavy iron rings was not a method of torture or punishment applied to the monks and nuns, but was voluntarily self-imposed. The historical sources indicate that this was one of the unusual ways in which the monks – and it turns out the nuns as well – used to self-flagellate. The accepted concept then was that the more a person abstains from pleasures – and even afflicts the body, the more the soul rises to exalted spiritual heights.
“The nun is an expression of a phenomenon that was widespread among Byzantine monks in antiquity, which was accompanied by excessive extremism,” say Zubair ʼAdawi and Kfir Arbiv, excavation directors on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority. “The monks forced destructive acts and self-harm onto the body. Among the described forms of affliction were prolonged fasts; wrapping iron chains and various accessories around the body; tying the body to rocks; loading on heavy weights; tying the body and placing it in a device which forced it to stand and to deny sleep; self-imprisonment and contraction into a narrow and isolated living space –inside abandoned towers, caves or cells; in hanging cages; on the tops of pillars (a “stylite”) or even living in the treetops; living under the open sky and exposing the body to the elements; or a in place to be motionless. In some cases, the monks threw themselves into a fire or in front of animals of prey.”
Adawi and Arbiv, who studied the phenomenon, add that the discovery indicates that the extreme asceticism practice, and especially that of wrapping the body with chains, began in northern Syria and Anatolia, expanded to Asia Minor and reached westward to Europe – to Italy, France and England. At the same time, the phenomenon expanded southwards and reached Jerusalem and Egypt.
It should be noted that this phenomenon also existed among women. Theodoret of Cyrrhus in his 5th century CE work, ‘Historia Religiosa’, cites the story of two women, Marana and Cyra, who would bind themselves with chains on their bodies: above the limbs, around the neck, around the waist like a belt and chains on their hands and feet, over a period of 42 years.
This discovery thanks to excavation and innovative scientific research raises new questions about the role of women in the Byzantine monastic world. Known historical figures who came to Jerusalem, some settling in and around it and even establishing monasteries there, such as Egeriae, Melania the Elder, Melania the Younger, Pelagia, Maria and Euphemia, Suzana, Paula, Poemenia, Fabiola, and Silvia.
The ‘Nun of the Rings’ is probably a nun coming here from Syria after learning of the phenomenon there, and joining a community of monks and nuns who came from all over the
Byzantine Empire and settled in this region. She might also be a local nun who adopted this custom. In any event, this discovery joins the ‘Monk of the Chains’ discovered decades ago in excavations led by Elena Kogan-Zahavi of the Israel Antiquities Authority on the road from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, near the Mar Elias monastery.”
According to Dr. Amit Re’em, Jerusalem District Archaeologist for the Israel Antiquities Authority, “Ascetic nuns represent a fascinating phenomenon worth dwelling on, and even more so – against the background of International Women’s Day, which is marked this week. These literally extra-ordinary women lived and functioned in a rigid male and patriarchal environment, which inhibited their activities. In order to take part in the idealistic religious ideals of the life of nuns and ascetics of that time, which were mostly a male domain, of necessity they had to –according to traditions and legends – disguise themselves as men, and live thusly until their death. Saint Pelagia (5th century CE) was a famous actress in Antioch, known for her beauty and wealth. Over the course of her life, she felt deep remorse for her past, and was baptized into Christianity. To escape her past, she disguised herself as a man and fled to Jerusalem, where she lived as a hermit under the name ‘Pelagios’ on the Mount of Olives. She devoted her life to extreme asceticism, fasting and prayer, until her death. Only after her death was it discovered that she was a woman. Another story concerns Saint Marina (known also as “Marina the Syrian”), in the 5th-6th centuries CE, born in Lebanon to a wealthy Christian family. After her mother’s death, her father sought to become a monk, and Marina insisted on joining him in the monastery. To do this, she disguised herself as a man and adopted the name ‘Marinus’. She was accused – of lying, and of giving birth to a child, when a woman from a nearby town claimed that Marina – aka ‘Brother Marinus’ – was the father. Instead of revealing her true identity, she accepted the blame and raised the child, while suffering humiliation. Only after her death did the monks discover that she was a woman, and were astonished at her humility and strength of endurance. These and other stories illustrate that the search for holiness transcends gender.”
According to the Director of the Israel Antiquities Authority, Eli Escusido, “We have here a fascinating discovery, which will require continued research by our researchers at the Israel Antiquities Authority, in order to better understand the role of women in religious life and nunhood in that historical period.”
