turkey

A medieval bronze reliquary cross discovered in central Turkey has been restored, but what’s drawing the most attention is what researchers won’t do next. Found intact, still riveted shut, and apparently never meant to be opened, the cross offers a rare snapshot of medieval Christian practice without the usual damage and disturbance that come with time and looting. A Rare Sealed Find at Lystra in Konya According to the Anadolu Agency, the cross was uncovered during excavations at the ancient city of Lystra, in the Meram district of Konya Province, at a church-area burial zone - an important context, because reliquary crosses were often connected to devotion, burial, and personal protection. Archaeologists date the artifact to roughly the 9th–11th centuries