Gold jewelry worn by girls 1800 years ago revealed - against the evil eye

April 3, 2023   

Jerusalem of Gold: Why were girls buried in Roman-era Jerusalem, wearing expensive gold jewelry? Today (Monday), impressive gold items that were previously discovered in burial caves in Jerusalem were revealed for the first time and are being revealed to the public for the first time - as part of the 48th Archaeological Congress, organized by the Israel Antiquities Authority, the Society for the Exploration of the Land of Israel and its Antiquities, and the Israel Archaeological Society. The congress is being held at the J. and Ginny Schottenstein National Center for Archaeology of the State of Israel, which was inaugurated in Jerusalem. The new research reveals remains of a lead coffin, previously discovered on Mount Scopus, containing jewelry that includes gold earrings, a pinhead, a gold pendant and beads, cornelian beads, and a glass bead. The findings were discovered in 1971, during an excavation by Yael Adler, HH of the Antiquities Division, but to this day, these findings have not yet been published. The jewelry was located as part of the Israel Antiquities Authority's "Publication of Past Excavation Obligations" project, which publishes old archaeological excavations that have not previously been scientifically published. "Mapping the information, which had been gathering dust in archive files for years, alongside the physical location of the excavation findings, shed light on archaeological treasures that had long been forgotten," says Dr. Ayelet Dayan, director of the Research and Specializations Division at the Antiquities Authority and coordinator of the project. "The beautiful gold jewelry that we studied is an example of such a treasure." [Gallery]

Photo: Emil Aljem, Israel Antiquities Authority

Dr. Ayelet Dayan, Ayelet Gruber and Dr. Yuval Baruch, from the Israel Antiquities Authority, who studied the jewelry, believe that these valuable items accompanied the girls throughout their lives, and were buried with them so that they would continue to protect them. According to the study, a pair of similar gold earrings were discovered in another excavation conducted in 1975 on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem by archaeologist Prof. Tsepiris Vassilios, z"l, on behalf of the Antiquities and Museums Division. "The girl was buried with what appears to be a luxurious gold set, which included earrings, a necklace with a pendant, and a hairpin," say the researchers. "This jewelry is familiar from the Roman world and is characteristic of the burials of girls - which could indicate the population buried at these sites. Roman Jerusalem - whose name was 'Aelia Capitolina' - was home to a diverse population that arrived in the city after the destruction of the Temple and its emptying of the Jewish population. These residents came to the city from various regions throughout the Roman Empire, bringing with them a new world of values, beliefs, and rituals. The cult of the new city residents was diverse and rich, and included gods and goddesses.".