Israel Antiquities Authority and the Tel Aviv University have discovered a Hellenistic era 2,000-year-old golden earring in a building in Jerusalem.
The golden ornament was discovered during archaeological digs in the City of David National Park encircling the old city walls.
The IAA, disclosing this on Wednesday, revealed that the earring featured an ornamentation of a horned animal, possibly an antelope or deer, with large eyes, a mouth and other facial features.
The jewelry was discovered inside a building that was unearthed during the excavation. The building dates back to the early Hellenistic period, about which very little was known about Jerusalem.
Similar earrings had been found across the Mediterranean basin, especially in Greece, but are extremely rare in Israel. Meanwhile, nearby, excavators also found a gold bead with intricate embroidered ornamentation resembling a thin rope pattern, dividing the beads into two parts with six spirals on each side.
According to the archaeologists, it is unclear whether the earring was worn by a man or a woman but surely belonged to an upper class person.
The jewelry is crafted using a technique called filigree, in which threads and tiny metal beads are used to create delicate and complex patterns.
September 14 has been fixed for the public display of the earring at the City of David’s annual archaeological conference.
By Samuel Mayowa
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