Ancient treasure in Biblical city - Israel Tell Abil el-Qameh

Archaeologists reveal ancient treasure in Biblical city

Archaeologists who have been excavating in an ancient city located in present-day Israel have revealed a host of treasures they have uncovered during the dig, including a 3,200-year-old jug containing silver earrings and ingots.

The findings were made in the ancient biblical city of Abel Beth Maacah, now called Tell Abil el-Qameh, and located in northern Israel. The jug with treasure was found just to the north of a "massive structure," as the researchers call it, which may have been a tower overlooking the Huleh Valley. At some point the massive structure fell into disuse and domestic dwellings were built to the north, the treasure perhaps dating to this time.  

The researchers have said that the finding is unusual considering that there were no signs that the treasure had been hidden, raising the question as to why the original owners didn’t go back to retrieve it?

"We found it in a small jug leaning against a wall, apparently on a dirt floor," said researchers Robert Mullins, Nava Panitz-Cohen and Ruhama Bonfil. "It didn't seem to have been deliberately hidden in a niche or any other hidey-hole... Perhaps the family needed to leave their home suddenly and hoped to return to retrieve this jug and its contents, but were unable to."

The treasure inside the jug consisted of five hoop earrings, a silver object that looks like a twisted knot, and several silver ingots or scrap pieces of silver which would have been used for monetary transactions, since it dates to a time in which minted coins had not yet been invented.

The archaeology team has not yet pieced together the history of the ancient city of Abel Beth Maacah, who its inhabitants were, and when and why it was abandoned.  The period around 3,200 years ago was a time when many cities were destroyed and some civilizations collapsed. Ancient records indicate an enigmatic group called the "Sea People" descended on the Middle East.  However, the researchers believe that the city was probably inhabited by Canaanites, or by Israelite tribes.




By John Black


How much is that worth in todays times, and how much was that worth in those times? I am curious and would like to know, it may have some relevance to this topic. If it was substantial then I doubt it was anyone "Savings account" and it may have some other history to it!

Very beautiful, I like it very much.


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