Rare Roman-Era Engraved Ring Unearthed by Israeli Hiker

Yair Whiteson, a 13-year-old from Haifa, recently made a remarkable discovery while hiking with his father near the ancient quarry site below Khirbet Shalala (Mishmar HaCarmel Farm) on Mount Carmel. During their walk, Yair stumbled upon a small, green object that initially appeared to be a corroded bolt. Upon closer inspection at home, he realized it was an ancient ring with an engraved image.

“I am curious about fossils and rocks and love to collect them,” shares young 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.”

The family contacted Nir Distelfeld, an Inspector at the Theft Prevention Unit of the Israel Antiquities Authority, who transferred the ring to the National Treasures Department. The ring was examined and researched by the Israel Antiquities Authority with the assistance of Prof. Shua Amorai-Stark, an expert on ancient rings and amulets from the Kaye Academic College.

Yair and his family were invited for a tour of the new Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein National Campus for the Archaeology of Israel and received a commendation for good citizenship.

“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,” explained Distelfeld and Dr. Eitan Klein from the Israel Antiquities Authority’s Unit for the Prevention of Antiquities Robbery. “Yair’s identification of the figure as a warrior is very close to reality. The figure is apparently the goddess Minerva from Roman mythology, also known as Athena in Greek mythology. This goddess, popular during the Roman period in the Land of Israel, was considered, among other things, the goddess of war and military strategy, and also the goddess of wisdom.”

The researchers believe the bronze ring likely belonged to a woman or girl during the Late Roman Period (2nd-3rd Century CE). The discovery site below Khirbet Shalala features Roman-period farmstead remains and an ancient rock quarry, with 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.”

Khirbet Shalala, the archaeological site near where the ring was found, sits on a hilltop in the center of the Carmel Mountains, bounded on three sides by Nahal Oren and near the perennial water source Ein Alon. The site has been explored and documented by 19th-century Palestine Exploration Fund surveyors, renowned Israeli archaeologist Prof. Ruth Amiran, and a Bar-Ilan University expedition led by Mount Carmel expert Prof. Shimon Dar.

“The ring now connects to data gathered here in earlier excavations and surveys and sheds additional light onto this site,” Distelfeld and Dr. Klein conclude.

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