2,000-year-old earring in Jerusalem
Güncelleme Tarihi:
AFP
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Kasım 11, 2008 00:00
JERUSALEM - Archaeologists digging in east Jerusalem unearthed a perfectly-conserved 2,000-year-old gold earring inlaid with pearls and precious stones, the Israel Antiquities Authority said on Monday.
The earring is made of a coiled gold hoop and dates from the Roman period between the first century BCE and the fourth century AD. It has a large inlaid pearl in its centre and two identical gold pendants, each of which is adorned with an emerald and pearl.
The rare jewel was uncovered during excavations in the ruins of a building which dates to the Byzantine period that is today located in a Palestinian neighbourhood several hundred metres from Jerusalem's Old City.
"The earring was astonishingly well preserved, so much so that it seems it was manufactured only yesterday," excavation directors Doron Ben-Ami and Yana Tchekhanovets said in a statement.
"Gold jewelry inlaid with precious stones and pearls were used throughout the Roman Empire - from the Roman provinces in the east to Britain in the west," they said.
The rare jewel was uncovered during excavations in the ruins of a building which dates to the Byzantine period that is today located in a Palestinian neighbourhood several hundred metres from Jerusalem's Old City.
"The earring was astonishingly well preserved, so much so that it seems it was manufactured only yesterday," excavation directors Doron Ben-Ami and Yana Tchekhanovets said in a statement.
"Gold jewelry inlaid with precious stones and pearls were used throughout the Roman Empire - from the Roman provinces in the east to Britain in the west," they said.