Israel is a land of ancient and Biblical-era antiquities shedding light on our past. There is no place richer for archeological evidence of the past as Israel, an area located in the Fertile Crescent. A recent archeological find was discovered by a child hiking on the Carmel Mountains in Haifa. Yair Whiteson found an ancient bronze ring carve with the image of Minerva, the Roman Goddess of War. The ring was handed over to Israel’s Antiquity Authority.
“I am curious about fossils and rocks and love to collect them,” said Whiteson: “While hiking I noticed a small green item and picked it up. It was corroded, and at first, I thought it was just a rusty bolt. I thought about heating it, but then fortunately I understood it was a ring. At home, I saw it had an image on it. At first glance, I thought it
was a warrior.”
HIs family contacted Nir Distelfeld, Inspector at the theft Prevention unit of the Israel Antiquities Authority, who transferred the ring to the National Treasures Department. It was examined and researched by the Israel Antiquities Authority with the assistance of Prof. Shua Amorai-Stark, an expert on ancient rings and amulets.
“On this beautiful ring, preserved in its entirety, is the image of a helmeted naked figure. In one hand she holds a shield, and a spear in the other,” said Distelfeld.
The figure is the goddess Minerva from Roman mythology, known also as Athena in Greek mythology. This goddess, who was very popular during the Roman period in the Land of Israel, was considered, among other things, as the goddess of war and military strategy, and also as the goddess of wisdom.
The small ring probably belonged to a woman or girl during the Late Roman Period (2nd to 3rd Century CE) and its location was below Khirbet Shalala on a hilltop where there are Roman period farmstead remains – and near
an ancient rock quarry. There are two burial caves on the quarry’s edge.
“The ring may have belonged to a woman who lived on this farm. Or, it might have fallen from a quarry
worker, or it may have been a burial offering from these nearby graves. There are many
possibilities,” say the researchers.
Khirbet Shalala, the archaeological site near to where the ring was found, sits on a hilltop in the center of the Carmel Mountains. On three sides it is bounded by Nahal Oren, and nearby is Ein Alon, an ancient water source.
The ring will be displayed to visitors as part of archeology summer tours at the Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein National Campus for the Archaeology of Israel, in
Jerusalem.
