The Golden City Strikes Gold

April 6, 2009

According to Dr. Doron Ben-Ami and Yana Tchekhanovets, directors of the excavation at the site, “The earring was astonishingly well preserved, so much so that it seems it was manufactured only yesterday.” How can they tell how old it is? The famous Fayum portraits, painted during this period of the Roman Empire and first discovered in Egypt in 1615, helped the team identify its origin. “These drawings, which decorated the tombs of the mummies at Fayum, present an entire gallery of the deceased images dressed in their best attire and wearing expensive jewelry. It is interesting to note that in the portraits of the women from Fayum, they are wearing gold earrings and necklaces that in most cases are inlaid with pearls and emeralds.”

And who might have owned these earrings? Though the research is not conclusive yet, based on evidence from the writings of Josephus Flavius, the building that was uncovered was probably erected by the Hadyab family. The most famous member of that family was Queen Heleni, mother of Roman Emperor Constantine, who converted to Judaism and moved to Jerusalem, where she was buried.

But the jackpot was found on December 21, 2008 when a hoard of 264 gold coins was unearthed at the same site. Can you imagine the excitement of those who found them? Minted during the reign of Roman Emperor Heraclius (AD 610–613), with his image imprinted on each coin, the collection is one of the largest and most impressive coin hoards ever discovered in the Golden City. They were hidden in a niche in a wall. The only other find of its kind in Jerusalem consisted of only five coins, so this was indeed a monumental find.

Article written by Charleeda Sprinkle, Assistant Editor

Photo Credit: Isranet/IAA