Unique Gold Earring Found in Intriguing Collection of Ancient
Jewelry at Tel Megiddo Monday, May 21, 2012 Hoard of gold and
silver jewelry hidden for thousands of years could have Egyptian
origin, say TAU researchers Researchers from Tel Aviv University
have recently discovered a collection of gold and silver
jewelry, dated from around 1100 B.C., hidden in a vessel at the
archaeological site of Tel Megiddo in the Jezreel Valley in
northern Israel. One piece — a gold earring decorated with
molded ibexes, or wild goats — is "without parallel," they
believe. According to Prof. Israel Finkelstein of TAU's
Department of Archaeology and Near Eastern Cultures, the vessel
was found in 2010, but remained uncleaned while awaiting a
molecular analysis of its content. When they were finally able
to wash out the dirt, pieces of jewelry, including a ring,
earrings, and beads, flooded from the vessel. Prof. Finkelstein
is the co-director of the excavation of Tel Megiddo along with
Professor Emeritus David Ussishkin of Tel A