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
Israel Antiquities Authority na Chuo Kikuu cha Tel Aviv vimegundua pete ya dhahabu ya miaka 2,000 katika jengo la Jerusalem. Pambo hilo la dhahabu liligunduliwa wakati wa uchimbuaji wa kiakiolojia katika Mbuga ya Kitaifa ya Jiji la Daudi iliyozunguka kuta za jiji la kale. IAA ilifunua kwamba pete hiyo ilikuwa na picha ya mnyama mwenye pembe, labda antelope au nyati, na macho makubwa, mdomo na sifa nyingine za uso. Vito hivyo viligunduliwa ndani ya jengo lililochimbuliwa wakati wa uchimbaji. Jengo hilo lilijengwa mapema katika kipindi cha Ugiriki, wakati ambapo kulikuwa na habari chache sana kuhusu Yerusalemu. Vipuli kama hivyo vimepatikana katika bonde la Mediterania, hasa katika Ugiriki, lakini ni nadra sana katika Israeli. Wakati huohuo, wachimbaji walipata pia shanga la dhahabu lenye mapambo ya kupamba yenye kufanana na kamba nyembamba, na kuigawanya shanga hizo katika sehemu mbili zenye mviringo sita kila upande. Wataalamu wa vitu vya kale wanasema kuwa haijulikani ikiwa pete hiyo ilitumiwa na mwanamume au mwanamke, lakini ni dhahiri ilikuwa ya mtu wa tabaka la juu. Vito hivyo vimetengenezwa kwa kutumia mbinu inayoitwa filigree, ambayo hutumia nyuzi na shanga ndogo za chuma kutengeneza michoro maridadi na tata. Mnamo Septemba 14, mwaka huu, pete hiyo itaonyeshwa kwa umma katika mkutano wa kila mwaka wa kiakiolojia wa Jiji la Daudi. Kwa Samuel Mayowa