Christians believe it is the tomb where Jesus was buried and rose to heaven.
Now, for the first time, experts appear to have confirmed at least one element of the Biblical account of history.
Researchers sampled mortar taken from between the original limestone surface of the burial bed, where religious followers say Christ was laid to rest, and a marble slab that covers it.
They believe the marble dates to around 345 AD, which ties in to historical accounts that the first Christian Roman emperor, Constantine, ordered the tomb be enshrined in a new church.
Constantine took this decision after his envoys discovered the tomb beneath an older temple, dedicated to the goddess Venus, in around 326 AD.
The discovery was made by researchers from the National Technical University of Athens who worked to restore the Edicule shrine, which houses the tomb, at Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
Experts took samples of mortar from various locations within the Edicule back in 2016 with the results, as first reported by National Geographic, only now becoming public.
The earliest architectural evidence found in and around the tomb complex until now dates to the era of the Crusades.
This would make it no older than 1,000 years, aligning with the church’s total destruction and subsequent rebuilding in 1009 AD. DailyMail
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