A 2,200 year-old golden earring was discovered at the City of David’s archaeological excavation just outside the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem, shedding light on life in the city after it was conquered by the Greeks.
The rare artifact depicts a finely-crafted head of a horned animal and delicate filigree work, and is believed to date back to the second or third century BCE, a period during which the Temple was the center of Jewish life, but the region was controlled by the Greeks and a significant percentage of the Jewish populace was influenced by Greek culture and beliefs.
According to Professor Yuval Gadot of Tel Aviv University, co-director of the Givati Parking Lot excavation, the find is the first earring discovered in Jerusalem from the Hellenistic period, found in an early-Hellenistic period building deep inside the dig.
The City of David center will display the earring beginning in September.