Archaeologists in Turkey say they have uncovered what may be one of the best-preserved early images of Jesus, alongside a wider set of discoveries shedding light on the early growth of Christianity.
The main find is a third-century fresco discovered in a sealed tomb in Iznik, in north-west Turkey. It shows a youthful, clean-shaven figure believed to represent Jesus, dressed in Roman-style clothing.
Experts say the tomb’s sealed, oxygen-poor conditions helped preserve the image in exceptional detail, offering a rare glimpse into how early Christians may have depicted Christ around 1,800 years ago.
Professor Candida Moss of the University of Birmingham said: “The large number of recent early Christian archaeological discoveries in Turkey are of very substantial significance,” adding that Turkey “was in many ways the cradle of early Christianity".
Other finds across the region include churches and inscriptions in cities linked to the “seven churches” mentioned in the Book of Revelation, as well as evidence of Roman imperial cult worship.
Scholars say the discoveries also add context to how Christianity evolved from a small, often persecuted movement into a major faith within a few centuries, eventually becoming central to the Roman world. Archaeologists have also highlighted related evidence of Roman imperial worship in the region, which they say helps explain the broader religious and political backdrop in which early Christianity developed.