Image Gallery: Ancient Treasure Trove Revealed
Uncovering a Treasure
Archaeologists uncovered about 140 gold and silver coins along with gold jewelry in a pit in the courtyard of an exposed building dating to the Roman and Byzantine period.
Wealthy Stash
A wealthy woman likely stashed the hoard of coins and jewelry in the pit due to the impending danger of the Bar Kokhba Revolt, the researchers suggest.
Dazzling Earring
Among the treasures, the scientists found a gold earring crafted in the shape of a flower.
Dainty Jewelry
The gold earring.
Winged Goddess
Among the treasure is a ring holding a precious stone that is covered with a seal of a winged goddess.
The Cache
"This is probably an emergency cache that was concealed at the time of impending danger by a wealthy woman who wrapped her jewelry and money in a cloth and hid them deep in the ground prior to or during the Bar Kokhba Revolt," said archaeologist Sa'ar Ganor of the Israel Antiquities Authority. "It is now clear that the owner of the hoard never returned to claim it."
Golden Jewel
A close-up of the winged-goddess ring.
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Jeanna served as editor-in-chief of Live Science. Previously, she was an assistant editor at Scholastic's Science World magazine. Jeanna has an English degree from Salisbury University, a master's degree in biogeochemistry and environmental sciences from the University of Maryland, and a graduate science journalism degree from New York University. She has worked as a biologist in Florida, where she monitored wetlands and did field surveys for endangered species. She also received an ocean sciences journalism fellowship from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
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