The ring was unearthed in the Emek Hatsurim sifting project. Archaeologists believe that the ring as lost when someone ascending to Har Habayit to visit the mikdash stopped to purify himself in the mikve.
From The Times of Israel:
The ring is perhaps a testament to a final period of peace, in which pilgrims could still safely climb the path to the Temple Mount and freely worship.
In a statement released by the City of David, archaeologists Szanton, Moran Hajbi, Ari Levy, and Dr. Joe Uziel said, “Just like today, it would appear that in the past, rings and jewelry were removed before bathing, and sometimes forgotten. This phenomenon, perhaps, is behind the discovery of the ring in what appears to be a ritual bath.”
The ring is a very human reminder of the people who ascended the path prior to the temple’s destruction, said the archaeologists.
“This ring allows us to personally connect with an individual’s personal story from 2,000 years ago. The ring, along with other finds, can shed light and expose the lives of people during the Second Temple period,” they said.
Can you imagine - in 2000 years from now, if the world will still exist in its current format, archaeologists will discover old phone cases, rings, parsha papers, old newspapers, computer components, and all the rest of the junk we throw away regularly and will treat it as a tremendous discovery that can educate them about how we lived....
Some guy, or maybe a lady, is on his way to visit the mikdash, pay respects, maybe daven, maybe bring a korban, loses his ring in the mikve, and it stays hidden for over 2000 years until we discover it today!
There is hope for the ring you or your wife might have misplaced when taking it off to wash for kiddush and hamotzi!
I also wonder how much this beautiful ring would go for in an auction...
If he got reimbursed from an insurance company, will his descendants now need to repay that payout?
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