Thousands of Years Old Gold Beads Found in Jerusalem

Jakarta –

Unique gold beads dating from Roman times were found in Jerusalem by an 18-year-old volunteer. The find came to light during the painstaking process of sifting soil from the Jalan Pilgrimage archaeological excavation site.

“I poured the bucket into the strainer and started washing the material brought back from the excavations in the City of David,” said Hallel Feidman, the National Services volunteer who found the gold beads. IFL Science.

“Then I saw something shiny in the corner of the sieve, it looked different from what I usually see. I immediately approached the archaeologist and he confirmed that I found gold beads. Everyone was excited to see the find,” he said.

The beads found were made of pure gold and are at least 1,600 years old. This is a testament to the skills of the people of that era. Each of the little gold balls needs to be held together to create its flower-like shape. Items of gold have been rare during archaeological digs in the region, and beads designed to this level of sophistication are extremely hard to come by. Although similar beads have previously been found in archaeological digs near the City of David, they are all made of silver.

Dr Amir Golani of the Israel Antiquities Authority explains how rare this find is. “Throughout my years in archeology, I have found gold maybe once or twice. So this gold jewelery find is something very special,” he said.

“The most attractive aspect of these beads is their unique and complex production method. A good understanding of the material and its properties is required, as well as control over heat. Only professional artisans can produce such beads, which is another reason why this finding is of high value,” he continued.

Archaeologists suspect the beads may have originally been small pieces of larger pieces of jewelry, such as necklaces or bracelets, which Dr Golani said only wealthy people of the era could wear.

Indeed, the remains of the building in which it was found were once a majestic structure, its decorative mosaic floors a testament to the wealth of its inhabitants.

The manufacturing techniques used to make the beads date back to the Mesopotamian era. This jewelery could have reached Jerusalem through trade, or it could even be an heirloom passed down from generation to generation of family members.

“Even with today’s advanced technology, creating something like this would be extremely complicated,” said Eli Escusido, Director of the Israel Antiquities Authority.

“Careful examination of this object makes one deeply admire the skills and technical abilities of those who came before us centuries ago,” he concluded.

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(rns/rns)