2,000-year-old Beautiful Gold Earring Found in Jerusalem
"Suddenly one of the excavators came up shouting 'Eureka!'"
(Jerusalem, Israel)—In one of the more glamorous archaeological discoveries in a while, researchers on a dig near the walls of Jerusalem's Old City uncovered some ancient, and quite beautiful, jewelry dating back to the "Roman period just after the time of Jesus," according to an AP report.
Archaeologist Ben-Ami was leading the excavation of a Byzantine structure, the ruins of which were found underneath a parking lot. "Suddenly one of the excavators came up shouting 'Eureka!'" described the head researcher. (Photo: Israeli Antiquities)
Ben-Ami stated that the piece was likely handed down through the generations as its creation was dated at centuries before the Byzantine building would have been constructed.
Elegantly outlined in gold, the earring contains pearls and emeralds.
"It must have belonged to someone of the elite in Jerusalem," noted Ben-Ami. "Such a precious item, it couldn't be one of just ordinary people."
The Israeli Antiquities Authority stated Monday that the rare find was "astonishingly well-preserved."
