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A stunning earring, dating from Roman Times has been found by an archeological team excavating in Jerusalem.
The single earring is thought to be at about two thousand years old and is made of gold set
with pearls and cabochon emeralds. It was found in an archeological
excavation being carried out in the David‘s City area next to the
Jerusalem city walls.
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The earring is fashioned from a gold loop with a large pearl set in its
center. Two identical gold pendants are attached to the main loop, each
set with a pearl and an emerald. The emerald is held in a gold cup-like
setting which attaches it to the main loop with a small ring, also made
of gold. A smaller pearl is attached to the other side of the emerald
with a gold pin that passes through a hole drilled through the pearl.
According to Dr. Doron Ben-Ami and Yana Chronovitz, directors of the
dig from the Antiquities Authority, ”the earring was preserved in an
amazing condition and it looks like it was made yesterday.“ According
to what is known about ancient jewelry, the earring, which was found in
the excavation of a building from the Byzantine period (fourth to fifth
century AD), was made earlier in the Roman period (first century BC to
the beginning of the fourth century AD). Gold jewelry set with pearls
and precious stones were in use throughout the Roman empire from the
eastern provinces to Britain. Many pearls came from the UK, which was a rich source then
Photo by Clara Amit, Israel Antiquities Authority
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