An ancient 1,600-year-old bead made of pure gold was discovered during an archeological dig in the City of David in the core of Jerusalem Wednesday from dirt that was removed from a Roman structure in the Emek Tzurim National Park.
The unique bead was found when one volunteer, Hallel Feidman, 18, was working at a sifting station while she spotted the small object.
Hallel Feidman with the rare gold bead on Feb. 8, 2023. The gold bead was discovered in Israel Antiquities Authority excavations in the City of David. (Photo by Koby Harati/City of David.)
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“I poured the pail onto the sieve and began to wash the material that was brought from the excavations in the City of David,” Feidman said, according to a release on the finding. “And then I saw something shiny in the corner of the sieve, different, that I don’t normally see.”
“I immediately approached the archeologist, and he confirmed that I found a gold bead. Everyone here was very excited,” she added.
The bead is believed to have been just one of a set of beads on a necklace or bracelet of an affluent individual – a theory that was additionally backed up by the location it was found in.
The bead was uncovered where a “grandiose structure” once stood, more than 80 feet in length along the Pilgrimage Road in the City of David.
The suspected affluence of the inhabitants of the building was also reportedly evidenced by additional findings like a mosaic floor and imported clay vessels.
A section of the grandiose Roman structure where the bead was found on Feb. 8, 2023. (Credit: Ari Levy, Israel Antiquities Authority)
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Dr. Amir Golani, an ancient jewelry expert with the Israel Antiquities Authority, explained that while finding a gold bead was rare, the technique used in creating the bead is what made it a particularly special find.
“A good understanding of the materials and their properties is required, as well as control over the heat, in order to on the one hand, solder the tiny balls together to create a tiny ring, while also preventing overheating which may lead all the gold to melt,” he said. “Only a professional craftsman could produce such a bead, which is another reason that this find holds great value.”
The experts explained that the technique used to create the bead came from outside of Israel and likely made its way to the City of David through the extensive trade relations it shared with other regions at the time.
Rare gold bead found in the City of David on Feb. 8, 2023. (Photographer: Emil Aladjem, Israel Antiquities Authority/ City of David)
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Only a few dozen gold beads have ever been found in Israel.
“Although it is a tiny find, it is precisely the personal, day-to-day items that manage to touch and connect us more than anything else, directly, to a certain person,” Eli Escusido, Director of the Israel Antiquities Authority, said. “Even with today’s advanced technology, creating something like this would be very complex.”
