Rare 1,600 year old gold bead found in City of David

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A handmade gold bead in Jerusalem around 1,600 years ago was recently discovered by an 18-year-old volunteer in the City of David, near the Old City. Israel Antiquities Authority reported this.

"I remember pouring the bucket into the sieve and beginning to wash the debris. Suddenly I saw something shiny in the corner of the sieve, which I usually don't see. I went to an archaeologist to prove my point,” said Hallel Feidman, a teenager who made the discovery as part of the Archaeological Experience project, in which soil from the Pilgrim's Road is sifted.

A tiny bead found in pristine in a grandiose Roman structure on the so-called “Pilgrim's Way”, was created by a complex method that required the craftsman to carefully weld together more than a dozen grains of pure gold.

The bead was most likely just a small part of a necklace or bracelet that included other beads. Anyone who could afford such a piece of gold was a wealthy person.

“The most interesting aspect of the bead is its unique and complex production method,” says Dr. Amir Golani, an ancient jewelry expert at the Antiquities Authority. Israel (IAA). – A good understanding of materials and their properties, as well as control over heat, is needed in order to, on the one hand, solder the tiny balls together to create a small ring, and on the other hand, to prevent overheating, which can lead to the melting of all the gold. Only a professional craftsman could make such a bead, which is another reason why this find is of great value.”

According to the director of the Israel Antiquities Authority, Eli Escucido, even with today's advanced technology, creating something like this it would be very difficult.

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