November 10, 2008 Beautiful piece of history found in parking lot Play video

(NECN) - Israeli archaeologists have discovered a 2,000-year-old gold earring beneath a parking lot next to the walls of Jerusalem's old city, the Israel Antiquities Authority said on Monday.

The discovery dates back to the time of Christ, during the Roman period, said Doron Ben-Ami, director of excavation at the site.

The piece was found in a Byzantine structure built several centuries after the jeweled earring was made, showing it was likely passed down through generations, he said.

The find is a large pearl inlaid in gold with two drop pieces, each with an emerald and pearl set in gold.

Ben-Ami said it must have belonged to one of the wealthiest families of the time in Jerusalem.

He surmised that it may have fallen from its original owner as she tried to escape the destruction of the city during Roman times, and then remained hidden until it's recent discovery.

In a statement released on Monday, the authority said the piece of jewelery was "astonishingly well-preserved."

Finds from the Roman period are rare in Jerusalem, Ben-Ami said, because the city was destroyed by the Roman Empire in the first century A.D.

Shimon Gibson, an American archaeologist who was not involved in the dig, said the find was truly amazing, less because of its Roman origins than for its precious nature.

Though Gibson dates the piece slightly later than the antiquities authority, to sometime between the second and fourth centuries A.D.,

Ben-Ami added that he expects more small, luxury items to turn up in future excavations.

Earrings similar to this one have been found at archaeological sites throughout Europe, Ben-Ami said, where the Roman Empire also flourished.

The authority said the earring appeared to be crafted using a technique similar to that depicted in portraits from Roman-era Egypt.