Archaeologists excavating crypts at a Byzantine monastery a few miles from Jerusalem were surprised to find the skeleton of a woman bound in heavy metal chains. She wasn't being held captive at her death but, apparently, was voluntarily chained up as part of her religious ascetic lifestyle.
After Christianity became the Roman Empire's official religion in A.D. 380, monasteries multiplied, and many monks embraced extreme self-denial. Some even lived atop pillars, preaching and praying while bound in heavy chains. Almost always, these ascetics were men.
"It's much rarer to find accounts of women using chains in the same way," said Wiezmann Institute of Science archaeologist Elisabetta Boaretto who led the research.
From LiveScience:
As physical restraints, chains were a more extreme way to practice asceticism, Boaretto said, as they were meant to keep the body in check and the spirit focused. "By restricting their physical movements, they created space for their minds and hearts to turn solely to God," she said[…]
"The chains were likely viewed as integral to her identity as an ascetic," Boaretto said, and her burial "may have served to honor her ascetic life and ensure that her spiritual commitment continued to be recognized even after death."
(via Daily Grail)
Previously:
• Archaeologists discover remains of ancient mystic with six fingers
• Archaeological site discovered where new archaeology lab is under construction
