Advanced Neutron Examination Uncovers Mysterious Bone Fragments Inside Ancient Pendant

In 500 hours of work, Heinzel meticulously removed corrosion deposits from the find. Initial investigations showed that the approximately 6 cm high, 6 cm wide and 1 cm thick pendant was presumably a storage container for religious relics. Since the organic content of the pendant was not visible in the first x-ray images, investigation was continued using neutrons from the FRM II: Dr. Burkhard Schillinger of the Technical University of Munich (TUM) conducted the neutron tomography using the ANTARES instrument; this rendered the individual textile packages inside containing the bone fragments. The researchers determined individual elements of the sample by triggering them to emit characteristic gamma radiation at the PGAA using neutrons.

Neutron tomography shows the interior of the relic pendant.

“We can’t say whether or not these bone splinters are from a saint and, if so, which one. Usually relic packages contain a strip of parchment indicating the name of the saint. In this case, however, we unfortunately can’t see one. As an archaeological research institute of the Leibniz Association, we consider it our duty to preserve the object in its historical authenticity as completely as possible for future generations and to leverage the modern opportunities of non-destructive investigation at the Technical University of Munich,” says Heinzel.

Five relic packages can be seen inside.

Only three other relic containers of this type, referred to as phylacteries, are known to date. The term phylactery is derived from the Greek term for safekeeping or protection. Their owners wore them on their bodies, usually hung around the neck. The exterior of the gold-plated pendant made of copper shows pictures of Jesus, the four Evangelists, Maria and four female saints in enamel. The researchers dated the pendant to the late 12th century and attribute it to a workshop in Hildesheim, Lower Saxony, in Germany. The find is in the possession of the General Directorate for Cultural Inheritance (Generaldirektion kulturelles Erbe or GDKE), at the State Archeological Directorate of Mainz (Direktion Landesarchäologie Mainz) and can be viewed for the time being in the medieval exhibition “AUREA MAGONTIA – Mainz in the Middle Ages” at the Mainz State Museum.

Publications

Discovery of a 12th-Century Enamelled Reliquary Pendant: Elemental Analysis and Content Visualisation Using Prompt Gamma Neutron Activation Analysis and Neutron Tomography; Matthias Heinzel, Eschly Kluge, Dorothee Kemper, Burkhard Schillinger, Christian Stieghorst
ISBN: 978-2-491997-61-8
METAL2022 – PROCEEDINGS OF THE INTERIM MEETING OF THE ICOM-CC METALS WORKING GROUP
INTERIM MEETING OF THE ICOM-CC METALS WORKING GROUP, Helsinki, Finland, 5 Sep 2022 – 9 Sep 2022 184-191 (2022)

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