Ancient Mystery Unearthed: 2,300-Year-Old Gold Ring with Enigmatic Red Gemstone Discovered in Jerusalem’s City of David
The Discovery Of A 2,300-Year-Old Gold Ring In Jerusalem’s Ancient City Of David
Maor Ganot, City of David/Israel Antiquities AuthorityThe excavation site in the City of David where the gold ring was found.
According to a statement from the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), the gold ring was found during excavations in the City of David at Jerusalem Walls National Park. Excavators were sifting through the dirt when one of them stumbled upon this astonishing gold ring adorned with a red gemstone.
“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,” City of David excavator Rivka Lengler recalled of the moment the ring was discovered. “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.”
The ring was especially exciting because a similar gold ring had been found nearby last year. Like that earlier find, this newly-uncovered ring was more than 2,000 years old, and dated to between the late 3rd century and early 2nd century B.C.E.
Yiftah Shalev/ Israel Antiquities AuthorityThe two rings from the City of the David look similar to each other and both date from the early Hellenistic period.
What’s more, the rings were found near other jewelry: bronze earrings, a gold earring with a horned animal image, and a decorated gold bead.
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