Archaeologists in Israel have discovered the remains of a nun who practised an extreme form of asceticism.
Dubbed “The Nun of the Rings”, the skeleton of the woman was found buried under the altar in the ruins of a Byzantine monastery that was active between the fifth and seventh centuries AD.
She was found bound with around a dozen rings on her arms and hands, four on her neck and at least 10 on her legs. Her stomach was also covered with iron plates or discs that were attached to the rings.
It is believed that the ring binding was part of the practice of asceticism or self-flagellation, in which people try to attain a higher spiritual state by eschewing physical pleasures or even by inflicting pain or discomfort on the body.
Although there are written accounts that nuns as well as monks participated in such practices, this is the first time that any archaeological evidence for it has been found. The fact that this nun was buried alone beneath the altar in the monastery suggests she was held in high esteem.
The specific practice of wrapping the body in chains is believed to have begun in northern Syria, from where it spread to Asia Minor and then to the western Christian world in England and France.
The “Historia Religiosa”, written in the fifth century by Theodoret of Cyrrhus, tells the story of two women, Marana and Cyra, who for 42 years bound themselves with chains all over their bodies.
Other forms of asceticism included self-imprisonment, loading the body with heavy weights, sleep deprivation, extended fasting, living outdoors or on top of pillars and in some even more extreme cases, throwing oneself into fire or in front of dangerous animals.
Eli Escusido, the Director of the Israel Antiquities Authority, said, “We have here a fascinating discovery, which will require continued research by our researchers at the Israel Antiquities Authority, in order to better understand the role of women in religious life and nunhood in that historical period.”
