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Archaeologists in Jerusalem say they discovered a golden ring from around 2,300 years ago, with a red gem that resembles another jewelry found a year ago.
Two rings small enough for children were artifacts unearthed at the city of David site in Jerusalem Walls National Park. The team analysing the pieces thinks that the ring may be connected Age rituals by young women before marriage suggest that the item was intentionally buried.
Researchers say that the ring is likely to be the same, along with horned earrings, horned animals and gold earrings that resemble decorated gold beads. It comes from the early Hellenistic times of Jerusalem. The Hellenistic period, which is associated with the spread of Greek culture and influence, continued within the city from 332 to 141 BC.
Speaking about the novelty of finding so many gold gems from this era in Jerusalem, Eflat Bocha, Eflat Bocha, the University of Bah Iran and the Research Centre for Ancient Jerusalem, said in a statement on May 21 that ”
According to Dr. Yiftah Shalev, an archaeologist at the Israeli Ancient Bureau, both objects were in layers of dirt that were layered in the late 3rd or early 2nd century BC.
This discovery sheds light on the chapters of Jerusalem’s history, known primarily from ancient texts.
The newly discovered gold ring, set in what looked like a garnet, was in excellent condition so we first thought that the excavator was modern jewelry dropped by team members. However, Livka Lengler, one of the first excavators to examine the artifact, recognized its ancient design and called it elsewhere on the team.
“When I held this ring in my hand I felt that I could actually touch and connect with people who lived here thousands of years ago,” Renler said in a statement.
Discovered on the site a year ago, the ring is set with precious red gems and has no signs of age.
“I was sifting through the planet through the screen and suddenly I saw something sparkle,” said Tehiya Gangate, a member of the Excavation Team in the 2024 release. Within seconds, everyone gathered around me and this was an emotionally moving discovery, not the kind you find every day. ”
Both rings fit on the little finger of a woman at best, but probably fit on the girl’s finger, the researchers said.
Dr. Marion Zindel, an archaeologist at the Israeli Ancient Bureau, analyzes the rings and believes that the artisan made them by pounding thin gold leaves onto a metal ring base.
The excavator retrieved all the site’s gems from under the building’s floor, suggesting that the pieces were intentionally placed there, Sindel said.
One hypothesis is that jewelry was used in “the famous Hellenistic custom of engaged women filling gems and other childhood objects in the foundations of the House of Representatives as a symbol of the transition from childhood to adulthood.”
In relation to the early Hellenistic era, the tendency to combine colorful gems with gold was influenced by Indian and Persian fashion, and was brought to the region by Alexander the Great’s conquest of the eastern side.
Jewelry and other discoveries show that Jerusalem’s early Hellenistic era was a time related to wealth and urban planning, but the extent of the prosperity and abundance of the inhabitants was previously unknown, Beaucher said.
The excavations in Gibberty’s parking lot on the western slopes of David Hill have been going on for years, she said in a YouTube video sharing her findings. The excavation was conducted jointly by the Israeli Ancient Bureau and Tel Aviv University.
The team wants to better understand Jerusalem from the 1st to 9th centuries BC. This is the long and diverse heritage of the city, with periods missing from previous archaeological records.
This item shows that urban residents were open to adopting Hellenistic cultural trends, lifestyles and architecture. This differs from traditional interpretations of ancient texts about Jerusalem. Experts have previously believed The city was culturally isolated and rejected external influences based on references in ancient texts, Gadot said. However, the practices associated with the gem and its burial changed that assumption, Gadot added.
Researchers now have new ways to understand how the region was changing. With almost no period structures or artifacts, it was easy to assume that Jerusalem was a small town. But previous discoveries revealed the entire neighborhood, including domestic and administrative buildings that stretched westward from David Hilltop, where Jewish temples once sat, Gadot said.
In addition to analyzing jewelry, the team will study animal bones, coins and ceramics from the site to learn more about regional connections, the origins of imported goods, and even Jerusalem’s cooking habits. The bones were able to clarify whether residents were practicing Kashrat regulations, or whether they practiced the diet of Kosher Jews that govern animals that can consume animals, and how they should be prepared and treated.
“We are just beginning to explore the story of Jerusalem in the fourth century BC,” Gadot said in an email. “The temple is at one end and there is a hellenic cultural presence on the other end, so I want to understand the position of the people living in Jerusalem.”