See it: Ancient gold ring dating back over 2,000 years found in Jerusalem
Researchers noted that the design of the jewelry may have been influenced by trade with faraway empires at the time.
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JERUSALEM – A small gold ring embedded with a dark red gemstone dating back to ancient times 2,300 years ago, was recently discovered in the Jerusalem Walls National Park in Israel.
The piece of jewelry was found in an excavation of a layer of earth and material from a time known as the Early Hellenistic period.
Officials said this is the second gold ring found at the same site from the same time period within just a few months. They were discovered in the foundations of a large building, which connotes the wealth of those who lived inside.
The gold ring.
(Israel Antiquities Authority / FOX Weather)
Several earrings were also recently discovered in the same layer. A number were made of bronze, and one was made of gold and adorned with a horned animal image and gold bead, according to officials. All the jewelry dates from the Early Hellenistic Period.
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Researcher Dr. Marion Zindel surmises that the rings and the rest of the jewelry were buried intentionally.
The gold ring.
(Israel Antiquities Authority / FOX Weather)
"One of the possibilities now being examined is that the jewelry found in the building’s foundations was in the context of executing 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," she said.
Researchers also noted that the design of the jewelry may have been influenced by trade with faraway empires at the time. Specifically, jewelry that combines gold with brightly colored gemstones was a fashion 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," officials said.
The excavation site.
(Israel Antiquities Authority / FOX Weather)
Those who were there when the ring was unearthed said it holds a deeper meaning.
"When I held this ring in my hand, I felt part of my history," said Rivka lengler, excavator at the City of David. "I felt that I could actually touch and connect with the people who lived here in Jerusalem thousands of years ago."