A Father-Son Duo Hiking Mount Carmel In Israel Discovered A 1,800-Year-Old Ring Depicting The Roman Goddess Minerva
While hiking with his father on Mount Carmel in Israel, a teenage boy stumbled across a 1,800-year-old ring depicting the Roman goddess Minerva. Experts from the Israel Antiquities Authority have verified it as an extremely well-preserved “beautiful ring.”
When 13-year-old Yair Whiteson and his father hiked past an ancient quarry, they noticed the object. Whiteson brought it home, and upon closer examination, it appeared to be a ring engraved with an image of what he thought might have been a warrior.
“I am curious about fossils and rocks and love to collect them,” Whiteson said. “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.”
Afterward, Whiteson and his family reached out to the Israel Antiquities Authority, who then contacted the National Treasures Department of the find.
Experts analyzed the ring and confirmed that it depicted Minerva, the Roman goddess of war, wisdom, art, handicrafts, and commerce.
According to Nir Distelfeld, the inspector of the Israel Antiquities Authority’s Theft Prevention Unit, and Dr. Eitan Klein, the deputy director of the Theft Prevention Unit, the image on the ring was of an unclothed figure wearing nothing but a helmet. A shield was in one of her hands, and a spear was in the other.
“Yair’s identification of the figure as a warrior is very close to reality. The figure is — apparently, 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,” continued the experts.
The ring seemed to be made out of bronze and was likely worn by a girl or woman during the Late Roman Period, which spanned from the second to the third century C.E. The ring was found in an ancient quarry located near a Roman-era farmstead and two burial caves.
The woman who wore the ring may have lived on the farm. It may have also been a burial offering, or a quarry worker dropped it by accident.
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The archaeological site near where the ring was discovered is called Khirbet Shalala. It is situated on a hilltop in the center of the Carmel Mountains. In the 19th century, researchers explored and documented the site.
“The ring now connects to data gathered here in earlier excavations and surveys and sheds additional light onto this site,” concluded Distelfeld and Dr. Klein.
Yair Whiteson has been praised for the discovery and for notifying experts. He received a “commendation for good citizenship” from the Israel Antiquities Authority.
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