Second Temple-era golden relic discovered in Jerusalem

Archaeologists say 2,300-year-old golden ring discovered in the City of David in Jerusalem likely was a coming-of-age gift to a young member of a wealthy Jerusalem family.

By World Israel News Staff

A gold ring set with a red gemstone, approximately 2,300 years old, was discovered recently in excavations conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) and Tel Aviv University in the ancient City of David in Jerusalem, the IAA announced on Wednesday morning.

This is the second gold ring discovered in less than a year from the same excavation, and from the same period.

“We sifted the dirt through a sieve, right near the excavation area, and suddenly Ben, who works with me, pulls a gold ring out of the dirt,” said Rivka Lengler, a City of David excavator present when the ring was uncovered.

“At first, he was sure it must be a modern item dropped by one of our excavators, but when I examined the ring, I immediately assessed it as something ancient.”

“We called over the archaeologists, everyone gathered around us and marveled at the special find. It was very exciting. Already at first glance, you could see its great similarity to the ring discovered in our excavation only a few months ago, just that this one was even smaller.”

“When I held this ring in my hand, I felt part of my history. I felt that I could actually touch and connect with the people who lived here in Jerusalem thousands of years ago.”

According to the excavation managers, Dr. Yiftah Shalev and Dr. Marion Zindel from the IAA, and Efrat Bocher from the Ancient Jerusalem Research Center, and Prof. Yuval Gadot from Tel Aviv University, “The two gold rings were discovered in a layer dating to the late 3rd century or early 2nd century BCE, set in the foundations of a large building which bears witness to its occupants’ wealth.”

“In the same stratum in which these rings were unearthed, a number of bronze earrings were also recently found. And it is in this very same stratum that a gold earring decorated with a horned animal image and a decorated gold bead were also discovered – all dating from the Early Hellenistic period.”

“That the two small rings and the rest of the jewelry were all discovered under the building’s floors raises the possibility that they were buried there on purpose,” Zindel said.

“One of the possibilities now being examined is that the jewelry found in the building’s foundations was in the context of executing of a well-known Hellenistic period custom in which betrothed women would bury jewelry and other childhood objects in the house foundations as a symbol of the transition from childhood to adulthood.”

According to the researchers, “Jewelry that combines gold with brightly colored precious stones, such as the garnet stone, were well-known from this period, in which fashion was influenced by eastern countries such as India and Persia. These fashionable influences were enabled thanks to Alexander the Great’s conquests, and the consequent trade channels opening with these regions.”

“This is the first time that we have found in Jerusalem such a large assemblage of gold jewelry from that period,” said Efrat Bocher, one of the excavation managers.

“This displayed wealth is very rare in any archaeological layer, and it attests to the wealth of Jerusalem and the high standard of living of the city’s residents during this period.”