{"id":120212,"date":"2026-02-08T10:00:55","date_gmt":"2026-02-08T15:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/ancient-christians-lived-alongside-followers-of-mysterious-faith-1500-years-ago-archaeologists-say-120212"},"modified":"2026-02-08T10:00:55","modified_gmt":"2026-02-08T15:00:55","slug":"ancient-christians-lived-alongside-followers-of-mysterious-faith-1500-years-ago-archaeologists-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/ancient-christians-lived-alongside-followers-of-mysterious-faith-1500-years-ago-archaeologists-say-120212","title":{"rendered":"Ancient Christians lived alongside followers of mysterious faith 1,500 years ago, archaeologists say"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Archaeologists recently uncovered evidence suggesting that Christians co-existed with a now-little-known religion in modern-day Iraq.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The discovery, announced by Goethe University Frankfurt in Germany, was made public in December.<\/p>\n

The excavations began in the late summer of 2025. It focused on a building complex at the Gird-\u00ee Kazhaw site in the Kurdistan region of Iraq,<\/a> built around 500 A.D.<\/p>\n

ARCHAEOLOGISTS UNCOVER EERIE ANGLO-SAXON ‘SAND BODIES’ AT NUCLEAR POWER STATION SITE<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Archaeologists were unsure what purpose the complex had in ancient days \u2014 until they found five square pillars that “suggested that it might be a church,” the university release said.<\/p>\n

“Geophysical investigations had revealed more walls underground, so that this \u2018church\u2019 was initially believed to be part of a larger monastery,” the release also noted.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Archaeologists also found additional stone pillars “which point to the existence of perhaps a three-nave structure,” along with the remains of a Christian meeting place.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Pottery with a Maltese cross was also recovered there.<\/p>\n

ARCHAEOLOGISTS FIND ARTIFACTS OLDER THAN STONEHENGE BENEATH BRITAIN’S HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT: ‘INCREDIBLY RARE’<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

The site’s proximity to a nearby Sasanian fortification is particularly significant, researchers said, as it may indicate that Christians and Zoroastrians<\/a> lived side by side in the region.<\/p>\n

The Zoroastrians were subjects of the Sasanian Empire, a major Persian empire that ruled from around 224 A.D. to 651 A.D.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The state religion was Zoroastrianism, and the fall of the empire in the 7th century gave way to Islamization in modern-day Iraq and Iran<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

There are some 100,000 Zoroastrians practicing the religion today.<\/p>\n

The proof of Zoroastrians at the site is “more indirect,” said Alexander Tamm, a professor at Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen\u2013Nuremberg. He co-led the excavation.<\/p>\n

CHINESE COWBOYS WORKED RANCHES IN THE AMERICAN WEST FOR DECADES: ARCHAEOLOGISTS FIND NEW CLUES<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

“There was also a small fortress that was in use at the same time,” said Tamm. “So far, we have not found any artifacts there that would indicate a Christian presence<\/a>.”<\/p>\n

He added, “If one thinks this through further and assumes that a small military unit may have been stationed there \u2026 these individuals were most likely Zoroastrians.”<\/p>\n

It’s not news that these two religions had intermingled in northern Iraq, Tamm said.<\/p>\n

“Religious diversity was common,” the archaeologist noted.<\/p>\n

TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

“One should also not forget that Muslims and Christians<\/a> later coexisted in this region as well \u2014 and still do today.”<\/p>\n

For those unfamiliar with Zoroastrianism, Tamm said it differs markedly from Christianity.<\/p>\n

“Zoroastrianism includes multiple deities, whereas Christianity, of course, has only one God,” he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Tamm also cited “significant differences” in customs, particularly in burials. Zoroastrians would bury their dead in rock-cut niches or vessels to prevent direct contact with the earth.<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

“For Zoroastrians, the earth<\/a> is considered pure, so the dead could not simply be buried in the ground, as that would have defiled the earth,” he said.<\/p>\n

“Christians, however, did exactly that: They buried their dead in the ground. This could certainly have been perceived as a major affront to Zoroastrians.”<\/p>\n

Despite that tension, Tamm pointed to evidence of people “adapting to one another, to some extent.”<\/p>\n

He said, “They likely respected each other\u2019s customs, even when those practices partially contradicted their own religious teachings.”<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE FOR MORE LIFESTYLE STORIES<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Tamm added that it was “quite surprising”<\/a> to find that the site itself dated to the Sasanian period, particularly given the size of the buildings uncovered.<\/p>\n

“We really had very few indications of what to expect,” the expert said. “We had assumed we might uncover a small village.”<\/p>\n

Tamm concluded that much about the history of Christianity<\/a> in Iraq and Iran remains unknown.<\/p>\n

“There is still a great deal left to excavate,” he said.<\/p>\n

“Only new excavations can help to reconstruct this information\u2026 The staff of the Sulaymaniyah Antiquities Authority and our excavation workers are of the Islamic faith \u2014 but for them, as for us, archaeology and the pursuit of knowledge<\/a> are the priority.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Source – https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/travel\/ancient-christians-lived-alongside-followers-mysterious-faith-1500-years-ago-archaeologists-say <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Archaeologists recently uncovered evidence suggesting that Christians co-existed with a now-little-known religion in modern-day Iraq.\u00a0 The discovery, announced by Goethe University Frankfurt in Germany, was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"twitter_2902945987_2902945987":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[16563],"tags":[],"stock_ticker":[],"class_list":["post-120212","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-market-news","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAncient Christians lived alongside followers of mysterious faith 1,500 years ago, archaeologists say - Wall Street PR<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/ancient-christians-lived-alongside-followers-of-mysterious-faith-1500-years-ago-archaeologists-say-120212\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ancient Christians lived alongside followers of mysterious faith 1,500 years ago, archaeologists say - Wall Street PR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Archaeologists recently uncovered evidence suggesting that Christians co-existed with a now-little-known religion in modern-day Iraq.\u00a0 The discovery, announced by Goethe University Frankfurt in Germany, was […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/ancient-christians-lived-alongside-followers-of-mysterious-faith-1500-years-ago-archaeologists-say-120212\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Wall Street PR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WallStreetPR\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-02-08T15:00:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/businessman-showing-business-evolution1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"715\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"423\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/ancient-christians-lived-alongside-followers-of-mysterious-faith-1500-years-ago-archaeologists-say-120212#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/ancient-christians-lived-alongside-followers-of-mysterious-faith-1500-years-ago-archaeologists-say-120212\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/person\/6e00efa2abc413bdc0bca51a90c54d36\"},\"headline\":\"Ancient Christians lived alongside followers of mysterious faith 1,500 years ago, archaeologists say\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-08T15:00:55+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/ancient-christians-lived-alongside-followers-of-mysterious-faith-1500-years-ago-archaeologists-say-120212\"},\"wordCount\":684,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Market News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/ancient-christians-lived-alongside-followers-of-mysterious-faith-1500-years-ago-archaeologists-say-120212\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/ancient-christians-lived-alongside-followers-of-mysterious-faith-1500-years-ago-archaeologists-say-120212\",\"name\":\"Ancient Christians lived alongside followers of mysterious faith 1,500 years ago, archaeologists say - Wall Street PR\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-08T15:00:55+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/ancient-christians-lived-alongside-followers-of-mysterious-faith-1500-years-ago-archaeologists-say-120212#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/ancient-christians-lived-alongside-followers-of-mysterious-faith-1500-years-ago-archaeologists-say-120212\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/ancient-christians-lived-alongside-followers-of-mysterious-faith-1500-years-ago-archaeologists-say-120212#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Ancient Christians lived alongside followers of mysterious faith 1,500 years ago, archaeologists say\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/\",\"name\":\"Wall Street PR\",\"description\":\"Latest News From WallStreet\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Wall Street PR\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/brand-logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/brand-logo.png\",\"width\":537,\"height\":70,\"caption\":\"Wall Street PR\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WallStreetPR\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/WallstreetPRs\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/person\/6e00efa2abc413bdc0bca51a90c54d36\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/360_F_336393115_5gCUfwn76x3MJaCJMYDKLoRebkC8QyrL-300x300.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/360_F_336393115_5gCUfwn76x3MJaCJMYDKLoRebkC8QyrL-300x300.jpg\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/author\/admin\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Ancient Christians lived alongside followers of mysterious faith 1,500 years ago, archaeologists say - Wall Street PR","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/ancient-christians-lived-alongside-followers-of-mysterious-faith-1500-years-ago-archaeologists-say-120212","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Ancient Christians lived alongside followers of mysterious faith 1,500 years ago, archaeologists say - Wall Street PR","og_description":"Archaeologists recently uncovered evidence suggesting that Christians co-existed with a now-little-known religion in modern-day Iraq.\u00a0 The discovery, announced by Goethe University Frankfurt in Germany, was […]","og_url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/ancient-christians-lived-alongside-followers-of-mysterious-faith-1500-years-ago-archaeologists-say-120212","og_site_name":"Wall Street PR","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WallStreetPR\/","article_published_time":"2026-02-08T15:00:55+00:00","og_image":[{"width":715,"height":423,"url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/businessman-showing-business-evolution1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"admin","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/ancient-christians-lived-alongside-followers-of-mysterious-faith-1500-years-ago-archaeologists-say-120212#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/ancient-christians-lived-alongside-followers-of-mysterious-faith-1500-years-ago-archaeologists-say-120212"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/person\/6e00efa2abc413bdc0bca51a90c54d36"},"headline":"Ancient Christians lived alongside followers of mysterious faith 1,500 years ago, archaeologists say","datePublished":"2026-02-08T15:00:55+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/ancient-christians-lived-alongside-followers-of-mysterious-faith-1500-years-ago-archaeologists-say-120212"},"wordCount":684,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#organization"},"articleSection":["Market News"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/ancient-christians-lived-alongside-followers-of-mysterious-faith-1500-years-ago-archaeologists-say-120212","url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/ancient-christians-lived-alongside-followers-of-mysterious-faith-1500-years-ago-archaeologists-say-120212","name":"Ancient Christians lived alongside followers of mysterious faith 1,500 years ago, archaeologists say - Wall Street PR","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-02-08T15:00:55+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/ancient-christians-lived-alongside-followers-of-mysterious-faith-1500-years-ago-archaeologists-say-120212#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/ancient-christians-lived-alongside-followers-of-mysterious-faith-1500-years-ago-archaeologists-say-120212"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/ancient-christians-lived-alongside-followers-of-mysterious-faith-1500-years-ago-archaeologists-say-120212#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Ancient Christians lived alongside followers of mysterious faith 1,500 years ago, archaeologists say"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#website","url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/","name":"Wall Street PR","description":"Latest News From WallStreet","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#organization","name":"Wall Street PR","url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/brand-logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/brand-logo.png","width":537,"height":70,"caption":"Wall Street PR"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WallStreetPR\/","https:\/\/x.com\/WallstreetPRs"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/person\/6e00efa2abc413bdc0bca51a90c54d36","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/360_F_336393115_5gCUfwn76x3MJaCJMYDKLoRebkC8QyrL-300x300.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/360_F_336393115_5gCUfwn76x3MJaCJMYDKLoRebkC8QyrL-300x300.jpg","caption":"admin"},"url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/author\/admin"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120212","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=120212"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120212\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=120212"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=120212"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=120212"},{"taxonomy":"stock_ticker","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/stock_ticker?post=120212"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}