HAIFA, ISRAEL—According to a Live Science report, a 13-year-old hiker discovered a greenish ring estimated to be about 1,800 years old at Khirbet Shalala, an archaeological site in northern Israel. “It was corroded, and at first, I thought it was just a rusty bolt,” said teen Yair Whiteson. The boy’s family then got in touch with the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA). Eitan Klein of the IAA said that the ring is thought to be made of bronze and is engraved with an image of Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom, war, and military strategy. She is shown wearing a helmet and holding a sword and spear. The ring was likely worn during the second or third century A.D. by a woman or girl who may have lived in the area, Klein explained. It could also have been lost by someone who worked in the local quarry, or been a burial offering in a nearby grave, he added. To read more about the Roman discoveries in Israel, go to “Front Row Seats.”
