We often wonder what treasures lie beneath the pavement of parking lots and high rises. That’s why when I saw this article on Yahoo! news I nearly jumped out of my chair. A 2,000 year old gold earring was found in a Jerusalem parking lot.
According to the Yahoo! News Article this beautiful earring was found “beneath a parking lot next to the walls of Jerusalem’s old city.” Now of course this wasn’t found lying on top of asphalt - this was an archaeological dig.
Anyway - The earring itself is really just beautiful and surprisingly, still stylish despite its advanced age. It dates back to the time of Christ, during the Roman period. It was found in a Byzantine structure built several centuries after the jeweled earring was made, so it most likely was passed down through generations.
The Director of Excavation at the site, Doron Ben-Ami, says “It must have belonged to someone of the elite in Jerusalem. Such a precious item, it couldn’t be one of just ordinary people.”
The earring features a large pearl inlaid in gold with two drop pieces, each with an emerald and pearl set in gold.
Archaeologists around the world commented “jewelry is hardly preserved in archaeological context in Jerusalem because precious metals were often sold or melted down during the many historic takeovers of the city. It adds to the visual history of Jerusalem and brings attention to the life of women in antiquity.”
Ben-Ami expects more small, luxury items to turn up in future excavations, as earrings similar to this one have been found at sites throughout Europe.
So when do we get to start pulling up the pavement in America to find treasure? We’re certainly ready!
- Shaun
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