Gold jewelry from about 1,800 years ago was discovered in a burial cave in Jerusalem (Photo: Emil Eljem, Antiquities Authority)
Jerusalem of Gold:
Why were girls buried in the Jerusalem of the Roman period, wearing expensive gold jewelry?
Today (Monday) impressive gold items that were previously discovered in burial caves in Jerusalem will be revealed for the first time and are being revealed to the public for the first time.
This, as part of the 48th Archaeological Congress, which is organized by the Antiquities Authority, the Society for the Investigation of the Land of Israel and its Antiquities, and the Israel Archaeological Association.
The congress is being held at the National Library of Archeology of A. J. and Jeannie Schottenstein, which was inaugurated in Jerusalem.
The new research reveals remains of a lead coffin previously discovered on Mount Scopus, containing jewelry including gold earrings, a pin head, a gold pendant and beads, carnelian beads and a glass bead.
The findings were discovered in 1971, in the excavation of the late Yael Adler from the Antiquities Division, but to this day, these findings have not yet been published.
The jewels were located as part of the Israel Antiquities Authority's "Publishing Obligations of Past Excavations" project, which publishes old archaeological excavations that have not previously reached scientific publication.
"The mapping of the information, which lay for years and raised dust in the archive files, along with the physical location of the excavation findings, shed light on long-forgotten archaeological treasures," says Dr. Ayelet Dayan, Director of Research and Specializations at the Antiquities Authority and coordinator of the project. "The beautiful gold jewelry we explored, They are an example of such a treasure."
The findings were discovered in 1971, in the excavation of the late Yael Adler. The gold earrings of childhood (Photo: Israel Antiquities Authority, Emil Eljem)
A pendant symbolizing the goddess of the moon, Luna (Photo: Israel Antiquities Authority, Emil Eljam)
The girls were buried wearing expensive gold jewelry.
The gold earrings (photo: Israel Antiquities Authority, Emil Eljam)
Dr. Ayelet Dayan, Ayelet Grover and Dr. Yuval Baruch, from the Antiquities Authority, who studied the jewelry, believe that these valuable items, which bear the symbol of the Roman moon goddess Luna, accompanied the girls in their lives as well, and were buried with them so that they would continue to protect them in the afterlife. .
According to the research, a pair of similar gold earrings were discovered in another excavation conducted in 1975 on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem by the late archaeologist Prof. Tsapiris Vasilius 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 lunula (named after the goddess Luna) and a hairpin," say the researchers. "These jewels are known from the Roman world and characterize the burials of children - which can testify to the population buried in these sites.
In Roman Jerusalem - whose name was 'Ilia Capitolina', lived a diverse population, who came to the city after the destruction of the Temple and its emptying of the Jewish population.
These residents came to the city from different regions throughout the Roman Empire, and brought with them a new world of values, beliefs and worship.
The worship of the new inhabitants of the city was diverse and rich and included gods and goddesses, among them - so, it now turns out, also the worship of the moon goddess Luna."
"These jewels are known from the Roman world and characterize the burials of children."
The Golden Chain (Photo: Israel Antiquities Authority, Dafna Gazit)
A pin head made of wood and plated with gold (photo: Israel Antiquities Authority, Dafna Gazit)
According to Eli Escozido, Director of the Antiquities Authority: "The burial of the jewelry with the child is touching. One can literally imagine how the parents, or their relatives, say goodbye to the girl when she is wearing the jewelry - or they deliberately place it next to her, while thinking about the protection that will accompany their loved one even in the world to which She passes. It's a very human situation. Anyone can identify with the need to protect the offspring, no matter what culture or period."
The research will be presented today (Monday) at the 48th Archaeological Congress - an annual professional conference, organized by the Antiquities Authority, the Society for the Exploration of the Land of Israel and its Antiquities, and the Israel Archaeological Society.
The closing session of the conference, which will deal with the topic "Archaeology to where", will be broadcast live at 19:30-16:00 on the congress's Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/events/1341803579931897
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