In the Austrian municipality Irce, archaeologists have made a remarkable discovery that could provide insights into early Christian iconography and the history of the region. Excavations on a hill that have been ongoing since 2016 led to the uncovering of a marble casket beneath the altar of an abandoned church, measuring about 20 by 30 centimeters. Inside the casket were fragments of an ancient ivory relic known as pixida.
The head of the archaeological group, Herald Grabherr, emphasized the exceptional rarity of such finds, stating that there are only about 40 similar ivory caskets known worldwide. He mentioned that the last discovery of a similar relic through excavations was made approximately a century ago. Typically, these artifacts are either kept in cathedral treasures or displayed in museums.
The discovery is particularly significant because in most cases, similar relics were taken with the clergy or parishioners when they left or closed a church. Therefore, finding the pixida among the church ruins suggests that the inhabitants of the settlement may have abruptly left or that some dramatic events took place in the region.
The preservation of the fragile relic posed a challenge for researchers. Ulric Tekhterle, the head of the restoration workshop in Innsbruck, explained that ivory, especially when buried in a marble casket, absorbs moisture from the environment and softens, making it vulnerable to damage. For the past two years, scientists have been meticulously working on preserving and protecting the delicate fragments.
While large fragments of the relic have been deformed over the centuries, making complete physical reconstruction impossible, the team is currently focused on creating a 3D model. This will allow both scientists and the public to visualize the original appearance of the relics.
After a thorough drying process, archaeologists began studying the images engraved on the vessel. Of particular interest are the sequential scenes linking the Old and New Testaments. The narrative begins with an image of a person at the foot of a mountain, with a hand descending from the sky to place something in their hands, resembling the transfer of laws to Moses on Mount Sinai from the Old Testament.
The pixida also depicts a series of biblical figures, culminating in a unique scene that offers a different portrayal of the New Testament than what is commonly seen today. In this final scene, a man is depicted riding in a chariot drawn by two horses, with a hand emerging from the clouds to guide the chariot through the sky