Archaeologists are excitedly clamoring over the discovery of a second golden ring found in the City of David, near the sight of the Temple. The ring, adorned with a red gemstone, is believed to be 2,300 years old and was found at the Givati Parking Lot during excavations led by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) and Tel Aviv University. It’s the second ring of its kind found in less than a year. Archaeologists believe it either belonged to a young boy or girl and was buried in the dirt as part of a “well-known practice” which “symbolized the transition from childhood to adulthood.”

Dr. Marion Zindel , who conducted the ring’s research, shared that archaeologists had found a surprising number of jewelry in the same area, hinting that the jewelry may have been put there on purpose. “One of the possibilities now being examined is that the jewelry found in the building’s foundations was in the context of executing of a well-known Hellenistic period custom in which betrothed women would bury jewelry and other childhood objects in the house foundations as a symbol of the transition from childhood to adulthood,” suggested Dr. Zindel. Efrat Bocher, one of the excavation managers, said the find points to the wealth of the people. “This is the first time that we have found in Jerusalem such a large assemblage of gold jewelry from that period. This displayed wealth is very rare in any archaeological layer, and it attests to the wealth of Jerusalem and the high standard of living of the city’s residents during this period.”

Rivka Lengler, a City of David excavator present during the ring’s discovery called it “very exciting.” “Already at first glance, you could see its great similarity to the ring discovered in our excavation only a few months ago, just that this one was even smaller. When I held this ring in my hand, I felt part of my history.” Researchers are hoping for more similar discoveries to give them insight into life during the Hellenistic period. The Hellenistic period is the period of time beginning when Alexander the Great conquered Syria and Israel in 333 BC until, when Roman rule came about in the area. “The Hellenistic period is considered a well-documented era, with historical sources available, so we would expect the archaeological record to reflect that. But that hasn’t been the case – until our excavation, we knew very little about Jerusalem’s size, character, and development during those centuries,” Excavation director Prof. Yuval Gadot, from Tel Aviv University, said.  “In order to understand more about Jerusalem’s identity in the Hellenistic period, we are going to need more discoveries and research. It will take time.”