 Israeli
archaeologists have discovered a 2,000-year-old gold earring
beneath a parking lot next to the walls of Jerusalem's old
city, the Israel Antiquities Authority said Monday.
The discovery dates back to the time of Christ, during the
Roman period, said Doron Ben-Ami, director of excavation at
the site.
The piece was found in a Byzantine
structure built several centuries after the jeweled earring
was made, showing it was likely passed down through
generations, he said.
The find is luxurious: A large
pearl inlaid in gold with two drop pieces, each with an
emerald and pearl set in gold.
"It must have belonged
to someone of the elite in Jerusalem," Ben-Ami said. "Such a
precious item, it couldn't be one of just ordinary people."
In a statement released Monday, the authority said the
piece of jewelry was "astonishingly well-preserved."
 Right:
This site has been determined to be an
exiled queen's
mansion.
Finds from the Roman period are rare in
Jerusalem, Ben-Ami said, because the city was destroyed by
the Roman Empire in the first century A.D.
n a
statement released Monday, the authority said the piece of
jewelry was "astonishingly well-preserved."
Finds
from the Roman period are rare in Jerusalem, Ben-Ami said,
because the city was destroyed by the Roman Empire in the
first century A.D.
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