{"id":90281,"date":"2026-03-09T06:00:47","date_gmt":"2026-03-09T10:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/?p=90281"},"modified":"2026-03-09T08:54:28","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T12:54:28","slug":"the-nun-of-the-rings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/ancient-cultures\/ancient-israel\/the-nun-of-the-rings\/","title":{"rendered":"The Nun of the Rings"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_90288\" style=\"width: 410px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/ancient-cultures\/ancient-israel\/the-nun-of-the-rings\/attachment\/excavator-uncovering-a-mosaic-at-the-byzantine-monastary-courtesy-yoli-schwartz-iaa\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-90288\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-90288\" class=\"wp-image-90288 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2025\/03\/Excavator-uncovering-a-mosaic-at-the-Byzantine-monastary.-Courtesy-Yoli-Schwartz-IAA-300x199.jpeg.avif\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"265\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2025\/03\/Excavator-uncovering-a-mosaic-at-the-Byzantine-monastary.-Courtesy-Yoli-Schwartz-IAA-300x199.jpeg.avif 300w, https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2025\/03\/Excavator-uncovering-a-mosaic-at-the-Byzantine-monastary.-Courtesy-Yoli-Schwartz-IAA-1024x679.jpeg.avif 1024w, https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2025\/03\/Excavator-uncovering-a-mosaic-at-the-Byzantine-monastary.-Courtesy-Yoli-Schwartz-IAA-768x509.jpeg.avif 768w, https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2025\/03\/Excavator-uncovering-a-mosaic-at-the-Byzantine-monastary.-Courtesy-Yoli-Schwartz-IAA-1536x1018.jpeg.avif 1536w, https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2025\/03\/Excavator-uncovering-a-mosaic-at-the-Byzantine-monastary.-Courtesy-Yoli-Schwartz-IAA.jpeg.avif 2048w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 400px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 400\/265;\" data-original-sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" data-smush-avif-fallback=\"{&quot;data-src&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/Excavator-uncovering-a-mosaic-at-the-Byzantine-monastary.-Courtesy-Yoli-Schwartz-IAA-300x199.jpeg&quot;,&quot;data-srcset&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/Excavator-uncovering-a-mosaic-at-the-Byzantine-monastary.-Courtesy-Yoli-Schwartz-IAA-300x199.jpeg 300w, https:\\\/\\\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/Excavator-uncovering-a-mosaic-at-the-Byzantine-monastary.-Courtesy-Yoli-Schwartz-IAA-1024x679.jpeg 1024w, https:\\\/\\\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/Excavator-uncovering-a-mosaic-at-the-Byzantine-monastary.-Courtesy-Yoli-Schwartz-IAA-768x509.jpeg 768w, https:\\\/\\\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/Excavator-uncovering-a-mosaic-at-the-Byzantine-monastary.-Courtesy-Yoli-Schwartz-IAA-1536x1018.jpeg 1536w, https:\\\/\\\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/Excavator-uncovering-a-mosaic-at-the-Byzantine-monastary.-Courtesy-Yoli-Schwartz-IAA.jpeg 2048w&quot;}\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-90288\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Excavator uncovering a mosaic at the Byzantine monastery. Courtesy Yoli Schwartz, IAA.<\/p><\/div>\n<p><em>Editor\u2019s Note: This blog article contains images of human skeletal remains.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Excavations near Jerusalem\u2019s Old City have revealed the first known archaeological example of a nun participating in extreme asceticism. Primarily known through written records, this Christian practice involved abstaining from pleasure to the point of self-affliction. Although historical sources indicate that this was a predominantly male act undertaken by monks, the new archaeological discovery, and a few notable historical examples, show that it could also be performed by nuns.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<div class=\"downloadFormSec esolshortwrap\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"row\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col-md-3 col-sm-3 mb-4 mb-md-0\">\n\t\t\t\t<img data-src='https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2011\/03\/israel-ebook3.jpg.avif' class='esolsetnewimg smush-dimensions lazyload' width='200' style='--smush-image-width: 200px; --smush-image-aspect-ratio: 200\/259;' src='data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==' data-smush-avif-fallback='{&quot;data-src&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2011\\\/03\\\/israel-ebook3.jpg&quot;}'>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col-md-9 col-sm-9\">\n\t\t\t\t  <form method=\"post\" class=\"esol_fsubmit\">\n\t\t\t\t  <input name=\"action\" value=\"esol_single_ebook_formsubmit\" type=\"hidden\">\n\t\t\t\t  <input name=\"esol_ebook_id\" value=\"43931\" type=\"hidden\">\n\t\t\t\t  <input class=\"esol_ebook_title\" value=\"Israel: An Archaeological Journey\" type=\"hidden\">\n\t\t\t\t  <input name=\"esol_ebook_whatcounts_code\" value=\"E00\" type=\"hidden\">\n\t\t\t\t   <div class=\"row\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col-sm-12\"><p>FREE ebook: <strong>Israel: An Archaeological Journey<\/strong>. Sift through the storied history of ancient Israel.\r\n<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col-sm-6 d-none\"> \n\t\t\t\t\t\t  <div class=\"input-field\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<input name=\"esol_fname\" type=\"text\" placeholder=\"FIRST NAME\" id=\"esol_fname\" class=\"\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<label for=\"esol_fname\" class=\"active\">First Name:<span class=\"clrRed\">*<\/span><\/label>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t  <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col-sm-6 d-none\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t  <div class=\"input-field \">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t  <input name=\"esol_lname\" type=\"text\" placeholder=\"LAST NAME\" id=\"esol_lname\" class=\"\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t  <label for=\"esol_lname\" class=\"active\">Last Name:<span class=\"clrRed\">*<\/span><\/label>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t  <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col-sm-8\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"input-field esolinputwrappadd\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t  <input name=\"esol_email_address\" type=\"email\" placeholder=\"Email Address\" id=\"esol_email_address\" class=\"\" required>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t  <label for=\"esol_email_address\" class=\"active\">Email Address: <span class=\"clrRed\">*<\/span><\/label>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t  <span class=\"helper-text d-block\">* Indicates a required field. <\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col-sm-4\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"btn tempBtn waves-effect waves-light btn-block esolsetdes\" id=\"esol_submit_btn1\">SUBMIT<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col-sm-12\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t  <label>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"checkbox\" name=\"esol_filled_in\" class=\"filled-in esol_filled_in\" checked=\"checked\" value=\"yes\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"esol_ccheck\"> If you don\u2019t want to receive the <em>Bible History Daily<\/em> newsletter, uncheck this box.<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t  <\/label>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"more ebook_form_error_message\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t  <\/form>\n\t\t\t  <\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<hr \/>\n<h4>Nuns and Byzantine Asceticism in Jerusalem<\/h4>\n<p>While excavating a Byzantine monastery, archaeologists with the Israel Antiquities Authority uncovered a grave under the church altar. Inside the grave, they discovered a poorly preserved skeleton, bound with nearly 30 iron rings around its arms, neck, and legs. These rings were then attached to plates on the abdomen that gave the whole skeleton the look of wearing armor. However, this was not a form of torture, but rather a type of self-affliction meant to restrict worldly pleasures. Such acts, known as extreme asceticism, were an unusual way in which some monastics would seek to reject their earthly existence and bring their souls closer to God.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_90289\" style=\"width: 410px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/ancient-cultures\/ancient-israel\/the-nun-of-the-rings\/attachment\/grave-of-the-nun-of-the-rings-courtesy-yoli-schwartz-iaa\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-90289\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-90289\" class=\"wp-image-90289 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2025\/03\/Grave-of-the-Nun-of-the-Rings.-Courtesy-Yoli-Schwartz-IAA-300x199.jpeg.avif\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"265\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2025\/03\/Grave-of-the-Nun-of-the-Rings.-Courtesy-Yoli-Schwartz-IAA-300x199.jpeg.avif 300w, https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2025\/03\/Grave-of-the-Nun-of-the-Rings.-Courtesy-Yoli-Schwartz-IAA-1024x679.jpeg.avif 1024w, https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2025\/03\/Grave-of-the-Nun-of-the-Rings.-Courtesy-Yoli-Schwartz-IAA-768x509.jpeg.avif 768w, https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2025\/03\/Grave-of-the-Nun-of-the-Rings.-Courtesy-Yoli-Schwartz-IAA-1536x1018.jpeg.avif 1536w, https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2025\/03\/Grave-of-the-Nun-of-the-Rings.-Courtesy-Yoli-Schwartz-IAA.jpeg.avif 2048w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 400px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 400\/265;\" data-original-sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" data-smush-avif-fallback=\"{&quot;data-src&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/Grave-of-the-Nun-of-the-Rings.-Courtesy-Yoli-Schwartz-IAA-300x199.jpeg&quot;,&quot;data-srcset&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/Grave-of-the-Nun-of-the-Rings.-Courtesy-Yoli-Schwartz-IAA-300x199.jpeg 300w, https:\\\/\\\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/Grave-of-the-Nun-of-the-Rings.-Courtesy-Yoli-Schwartz-IAA-1024x679.jpeg 1024w, https:\\\/\\\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/Grave-of-the-Nun-of-the-Rings.-Courtesy-Yoli-Schwartz-IAA-768x509.jpeg 768w, https:\\\/\\\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/Grave-of-the-Nun-of-the-Rings.-Courtesy-Yoli-Schwartz-IAA-1536x1018.jpeg 1536w, https:\\\/\\\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/Grave-of-the-Nun-of-the-Rings.-Courtesy-Yoli-Schwartz-IAA.jpeg 2048w&quot;}\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-90289\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Grave of the Nun of the Rings. <em> Courtesy Yoli Schwartz, IAA. <\/em><\/p><\/div>\n<p>After performing tests on the enamel of the skeleton\u2019s teeth, the archaeologists were surprised to discover the individual was a woman. This makes the woman, dubbed the \u201cNun of the Rings,\u201d the only known archaeological example of such a practice being performed by a woman, and one of only a handful of examples of the rare practice known anywhere.<br \/>\n<hr \/><h3 style=\"color: red; margin: 0px 0px 0px; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-top: 0px;\">Become a BAS All-Access Member\u00a0Now!<\/h3>\r\n<p style=\"line-height: 22px; font-size: 14px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0 0 5px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 10px\">Read <i>Biblical Archaeology Review<\/i> online, explore 50 years of <b>BAR<\/b>, watch videos, attend talks, and more<\/p>\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/subscribe-new?utm_term=W26009B0\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-53973 lazyload\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 300px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 300\/57;border: none;\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2019\/04\/button-all-access-pass.jpg.avif\" alt=\"access\" width=\"300\" height=\"57\" border=\"0\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2019\/04\/button-all-access-pass.jpg.avif 376w, https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2019\/04\/button-all-access-pass-300x57.jpg.avif 300w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-original-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" data-smush-avif-fallback=\"{&quot;data-src&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/04\\\/button-all-access-pass.jpg&quot;,&quot;data-srcset&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/04\\\/button-all-access-pass.jpg 376w, https:\\\/\\\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/04\\\/button-all-access-pass-300x57.jpg 300w&quot;}\" \/><\/a><hr \/>\u201cThe nun is an expression of a phenomenon that was widespread among Byzantine monks in antiquity, which was accompanied by excessive extremism,\u201d said Zubair \u02bcAdawi and Kfir Arbiv, directors of the excavation. \u201cThe monks forced destructive acts and self-harm onto the body. Among the described forms of affliction were prolonged fasts; wrapping iron chains and various accessories around the body; tying the body to rocks; loading on heavy weights; tying the body and placing it in a device which forced it to stand and to deny sleep; self-imprisonment and contraction into a narrow and isolated living space\u2014inside abandoned towers, caves or cells; in hanging cages; on the tops of pillars or even living in the treetops. In some cases, the monks threw themselves into a fire or in front of animals of prey.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_90290\" style=\"width: 410px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/ancient-cultures\/ancient-israel\/the-nun-of-the-rings\/attachment\/close-up-of-the-nuns-neck-and-arm-rings-courtesy-yoli-schwartz-iaa\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-90290\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-90290\" class=\"wp-image-90290 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2025\/03\/Close-up-of-the-nuns-neck-and-arm-rings.-Courtesy-Yoli-Schwartz-IAA-300x199.jpeg.avif\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"265\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2025\/03\/Close-up-of-the-nuns-neck-and-arm-rings.-Courtesy-Yoli-Schwartz-IAA-300x199.jpeg.avif 300w, https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2025\/03\/Close-up-of-the-nuns-neck-and-arm-rings.-Courtesy-Yoli-Schwartz-IAA-1024x679.jpeg.avif 1024w, https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2025\/03\/Close-up-of-the-nuns-neck-and-arm-rings.-Courtesy-Yoli-Schwartz-IAA-768x509.jpeg.avif 768w, https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2025\/03\/Close-up-of-the-nuns-neck-and-arm-rings.-Courtesy-Yoli-Schwartz-IAA-1536x1018.jpeg.avif 1536w, https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2025\/03\/Close-up-of-the-nuns-neck-and-arm-rings.-Courtesy-Yoli-Schwartz-IAA.jpeg.avif 2048w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 400px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 400\/265;\" data-original-sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" data-smush-avif-fallback=\"{&quot;data-src&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/Close-up-of-the-nuns-neck-and-arm-rings.-Courtesy-Yoli-Schwartz-IAA-300x199.jpeg&quot;,&quot;data-srcset&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/Close-up-of-the-nuns-neck-and-arm-rings.-Courtesy-Yoli-Schwartz-IAA-300x199.jpeg 300w, https:\\\/\\\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/Close-up-of-the-nuns-neck-and-arm-rings.-Courtesy-Yoli-Schwartz-IAA-1024x679.jpeg 1024w, https:\\\/\\\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/Close-up-of-the-nuns-neck-and-arm-rings.-Courtesy-Yoli-Schwartz-IAA-768x509.jpeg 768w, https:\\\/\\\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/Close-up-of-the-nuns-neck-and-arm-rings.-Courtesy-Yoli-Schwartz-IAA-1536x1018.jpeg 1536w, https:\\\/\\\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/Close-up-of-the-nuns-neck-and-arm-rings.-Courtesy-Yoli-Schwartz-IAA.jpeg 2048w&quot;}\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-90290\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Close up of the nuns neck and arm rings. <em>Courtesy Yoli Schwartz, IAA. <\/em><\/p><\/div>\n<p>Extreme asceticism, especially wrapping the body in chains, is thought to have originated around modern Turkey and Syria before it spread to the rest of the Middle East and then to Europe. The excavators suggest the Nun of the Rings was likely either a nun who came to Jerusalem from Syria, or a local nun who adopted the custom after seeing travelers to the city. A similar individual, though a man, was previously discovered at the Mar Elias monastery between Bethlehem and Jerusalem.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p><small><em>This article was first published in Bible History Daily on March 14, 2025.<\/em><\/small><\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<h4 style=\"margin-bottom:1em;\">Related reading in\u00a0<em>Bible History Daily<\/em><\/h4>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"36oijyYVqL\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/biblical-sites-places\/biblical-archaeology-sites\/byzantine-monastery-unearthed-egypt\/\">Byzantine Monastery Unearthed in Egypt<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;Byzantine Monastery Unearthed in Egypt&#8221; &#8212; Biblical Archaeology Society\" src=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/biblical-sites-places\/biblical-archaeology-sites\/byzantine-monastery-unearthed-egypt\/embed\/#?secret=gW5Tlf1shy#?secret=36oijyYVqL\" data-secret=\"36oijyYVqL\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"lfdcAoZAxJ\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/archaeology-today\/armenias-oldest-church-discovered\/\">Armenia\u2019s Oldest Church Discovered<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;Armenia\u2019s Oldest Church Discovered&#8221; &#8212; Biblical Archaeology Society\" src=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/archaeology-today\/armenias-oldest-church-discovered\/embed\/#?secret=mTnj1AGzar#?secret=lfdcAoZAxJ\" data-secret=\"lfdcAoZAxJ\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"z7l7GPCZrh\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/biblical-topics\/post-biblical-period\/early-christian-monks\/\">Where Did Early Christian Monks Get Their Wealth?<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;Where Did Early Christian Monks Get Their Wealth?&#8221; &#8212; Biblical Archaeology Society\" src=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/biblical-topics\/post-biblical-period\/early-christian-monks\/embed\/#?secret=JyMcaLrvec#?secret=z7l7GPCZrh\" data-secret=\"z7l7GPCZrh\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"lm4quZrXH6\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/pray-and-work-like-an-egyptian-monk\/\">Pray and Work like an Egyptian Monk<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; 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visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;An American Monk in Sinai&#8221; &#8212; The BAS Library\" src=\"https:\/\/library.biblicalarchaeology.org\/article\/an-american-monk-in-sinai\/embed\/#?secret=FVCIbNKE4a#?secret=pubfba8OfJ\" data-secret=\"pubfba8OfJ\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"0vicTydyg9\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/library.biblicalarchaeology.org\/article\/moses-and-the-monks-of-nebo\/\">Moses and the Monks of Nebo<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;Moses and the Monks of Nebo&#8221; &#8212; The BAS Library\" src=\"https:\/\/library.biblicalarchaeology.org\/article\/moses-and-the-monks-of-nebo\/embed\/#?secret=hCPlwdKZ6t#?secret=0vicTydyg9\" data-secret=\"0vicTydyg9\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div style=\"margin:2em 0;\"><p><strong>Not a <em>BAS<\/em> Library or All-Access Member yet? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/subscribe-new\/?utm_term=W26009B0\">Join today.<\/a><\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Editor\u2019s Note: This blog article contains images of human skeletal remains. Excavations near Jerusalem\u2019s Old City have revealed the first known archaeological example of a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":55,"featured_media":90295,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[376],"tags":[23474,17168,73,23473,23472],"class_list":["post-90281","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ancient-israel","tag-asceticism","tag-byzantine-period","tag-jerusalem-2","tag-monks","tag-nuns"],"acf":[],"nelio_content":{"autoShareEndMode":"never","automationSources":{"useCustomSentences":false,"customSentences":[]},"efiAlt":"","efiUrl":"","followers":[55],"highlights":[],"isAutoShareEnabled":true,"networkImageIds":[],"permalinkQueryArgs":[],"series":[],"suggestedReferences":[]},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.1 (Yoast SEO v27.1.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The Nun of the Rings - Biblical Archaeology Society<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A Byzantine monastery excavation near Jerusalem uncovered the \u201cNun of the Rings,\u201d a woman bound with iron rings\u2014the first archaeological evidence of female extreme Christian asceticism.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/ancient-cultures\/ancient-israel\/the-nun-of-the-rings\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Nun of the Rings\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Editor\u2019s Note: This blog article contains images of human skeletal remains. Excavations near Jerusalem\u2019s Old City have revealed the first known\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/ancient-cultures\/ancient-israel\/the-nun-of-the-rings\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Biblical Archaeology Society\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BibArch\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-03-09T10:00:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-09T12:54:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Excavator-uncovering-a-mosaic-at-the-Byzantine-monastary.-Courtesy-Yoli-Schwartz-IAA_square.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Nathan Steinmeyer\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@BibArch\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@BibArch\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Nathan Steinmeyer\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/ancient-cultures\/ancient-israel\/the-nun-of-the-rings\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/ancient-cultures\/ancient-israel\/the-nun-of-the-rings\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Nathan Steinmeyer\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/#\/schema\/person\/8dd937a582af2511d58a3eb599206794\"},\"headline\":\"The Nun of the Rings\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-09T10:00:47+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-09T12:54:28+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/ancient-cultures\/ancient-israel\/the-nun-of-the-rings\/\"},\"wordCount\":610,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/ancient-cultures\/ancient-israel\/the-nun-of-the-rings\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Excavator-uncovering-a-mosaic-at-the-Byzantine-monastary.-Courtesy-Yoli-Schwartz-IAA_square.jpeg\",\"keywords\":[\"Asceticism\",\"byzantine period\",\"jerusalem\",\"Monks\",\"Nuns\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Ancient Israel\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/ancient-cultures\/ancient-israel\/the-nun-of-the-rings\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/ancient-cultures\/ancient-israel\/the-nun-of-the-rings\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/ancient-cultures\/ancient-israel\/the-nun-of-the-rings\/\",\"name\":\"The Nun of the Rings - 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