Bone fragments, possibly the relics of a saint, have been discovered inside a medieval pendant found in rubbish in the old city of Mainz, Germany.
The research group of the Leibniz Center for Archeology and the University of Munich identified them, which managed to visualize the contents of the pendant dating back to the 1200s, without opening or damaging it, using neutron beams.
The work was presented at the Metal 2022 conference which took place recently in Finland.
Found in 2008, the pendant is a sort of disc-shaped relic holder 6 centimeters in diameter and 1 thick, gold plated and heavily corroded by atmospheric agents.
"Centuries of corrosion have heavily damaged the object as a whole and especially the locking mechanism: opening the pendant would have meant destroying it beyond any hope of repair," said Matthias Heinzel, one of the restorers of the Leibniz Center and one of the authors of the study. .
In order to therefore analyze the contents of the medallion, the researchers performed a series of non-destructive analyses, first using X-rays and subsequently with a neutron tomography.
The investigations with neutrons have revealed the contents showing the presence of some 'packages' of fabric inside which bone fragments are wrapped.
“We are unable to say whether or not these bone chips are from a saint, and if so, which one.
Usually the relic boxes contain a strip of parchment that indicates the saint's name, but in this case it doesn't appear to be there,” Heinzel added.
"We consider it our duty - he added - to preserve the object in its historical authenticity as completely as possible for future generations and to exploit modern opportunities for non-destructive investigation".