Thaindian News

An Israeli archaeologists have discovered a 2,000-year-old gold earring under a parking lot next to the walls of Jerusalem’s old city. The discover draws back to date just after the time of Christ, at the Roman period, said Mr Doron Ben-Ami, director of excavation at the site.

The piece was found in a destroyed Byzantine structure built several centuries after the jewelled earring was made. Unexpectedy discovered by the archeologists , the earrubf was placed in a corner of the Byzantine building while excavating. The experts were able to date the earring by comparing it to similar finds in Europe, where the Roman Empire also flourished.

The find is luxurious: A large pearl inlaid in gold with two drop pieces, each with an emerald and pearl set in gold.

Archaeologist Shimon Gibson, who was not involved in the dig, said the find was truly amazing, less because of its Roman origins than for its precious nature.

‘Jewellery is hardly preserved in archaeological context in Jerusalem,’ he said, because precious metals were often sold or melted down during the many historic takeovers of the city.

Mr Gibson dates the piece slightly later than the antiquities authority, to sometime between the second and fourth centuries A.D., he said its quality and beauty were impressive.