Wednesday, November 03, 2021

Amethyst ring excavated at Yavneh

ANCIENT BLING WATCH: Ancient ‘hangover cure’ gold ring found at Yavne winery excavation. Band is adorned with semiprecious amethyst stone, which was believed to have power in dispelling the aftereffects of alcohol (Stuart Winer, Times of Israel).

For more on the Byzantine-era winery at Yavneh (Yavne), see here. The ring is from a seventh-century stratum, but it may be several centuries older than that.

Rossella Tercatin is the only one I have found who has noticed that this is the second ancient amethyst gemstone, possibly also from a ring, to be discovered recently. More on that here.

For more posts on ancient bling, follow the links at the last link above.

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