A gold ring set with a red gemstone, estimated to be around 2,300 years old, has been uncovered during excavations in the City of David, located within the Jerusalem Walls National Park. The excavation is a joint project of the Israel Antiquities Authority and Tel Aviv University, with funding provided by the Elad Association. Remarkably, this is the second gold ring from the same period found at this site within the past year.
Rivka Lengler, an excavator at the City of David who witnessed the discovery, recalled the moment the ring was found: “We were sifting soil through a sieve near the excavation area when Ben, one of my colleagues, suddenly pulled a gold ring from the dirt. At first, he thought it was something modern—perhaps dropped by one of our team members. But when I examined it, I immediately recognized its ancient character. We called over the archaeologists, and everyone gathered around, amazed by the find. It was incredibly moving. At a glance, it looked very similar to the ring we found just months ago, though this one was slightly smaller. Holding it in my hand, I felt deeply connected to the people who lived in Jerusalem thousands of years ago.”
According to excavation directors Dr. Yiftah Shalev and Dr. Marion Zindel of the Israel Antiquities Authority, Efrat Bocher of the Ancient Jerusalem Research Center, and Prof. Yuval Gadot of Tel Aviv University, both rings were unearthed from a layer dating to the late 3rd or early 2nd century BCE. The items were found in the foundations of a large structure believed to have belonged to a wealthy household. Additional discoveries from the same layer include several bronze earrings, a gold earring decorated with the image of a horned animal, and a finely crafted gold bead, altogether forming a significant Early Hellenistic-era assemblage.
Dr. Marion Zindel, who analyzed the newly found ring, noted: “The fact that the rings and other pieces of jewelry were discovered beneath the building’s floors suggests they may have been intentionally buried. One theory under consideration is that these items were part of a Hellenistic-era tradition, in which betrothed young women would bury jewelry and childhood belongings in the foundations of their future homes—a symbolic act marking the transition from childhood to adulthood.”
The researchers also explained that gold jewelry featuring colorful gemstones, such as the garnet in the recently discovered ring, was fashionable during this era, reflecting stylistic influences from Eastern regions like India and Persia. These trends were facilitated by trade routes opened following Alexander the Great’s conquests.
Efrat Bocher emphasized the rarity and significance of the find: “This is the first time we’ve discovered such a rich collection of gold jewelry from this period in Jerusalem. Displays of such wealth are extremely rare in archaeological layers and speak to the prosperity and elevated standard of living enjoyed by some of the city’s inhabitants at the time.”
