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Archaeologists inJerusalemhave light upon a rare 2,000 - yr - old gem seal stomach the likeness of the god Apollo , but the muffin ’s possessor belike was n’t Grecian or Roman , experts say .
" I do n’t think he [ the gem ’s possessor ] believed in the god Apollo , " Shukron tell in aCity of David video(translated from Hebrew ) . " But he believed in the virtue that the god Apollo offered ; light , purity , health , success , which are very , very positive attributes — very very schematic . Everyone need to have them . "
The detailed carving of Apollo is smaller than a dime.
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metropolis of David visitant , under the supervision of archaeologists , discovered the carved treasure while sifting through soil that had once sat at the foundations of the Western Wall — the ancient remains of the keep on rampart that once surrounded the Jewish people ’s Second Temple , which the Romans destroyed in A.D. 70 .
The oval gem is smaller than a dime , quantify just 0.5 inches long , 0.4 inches broad and 0.1 inch buddy-buddy ( 13 by 11 by 3 millimeters ) . This is only the third known gem seal of its kind , also known as an diaglyph — a stone whose upper side is carved — from the Second Temple period ( 516 B.C to A.D. 70 ) in Jerusalem , archaeologist from the City of David said .
This carved jasper stone was likely part of a ring.
In antiquity , jasper was considered a cherished stone . This picky carved precious stone was belike embedded in a closed chain , and used as a stamp on beeswax to serve as a personal theme song on papers such as contracts , letter , wills , goods and bundles of money , according to City of David archeologist .
In the carving , Apollo ’s head is seen in profile , with his foresightful hair flowing over a wide neck opening . The Greek and Roman god also has a large nose , thick mouth and a outstanding chin in the sculpture .
" It is rare to find seal remains gestate the image of the god Apollo at situation identify with the Jewish population , " Shukron , who led the stone ’s excavation , say in a statement . " When we found the gem , we enquire ourselves ' What is Apollo doing in Jerusalem ? And why would a Jew wear a ring with the portrait of a extraneous god ? ' "
It’s likely that a Jewish person owned this ancient carving about 2,000 years ago.
" The answer to this , in our legal opinion , lies in the fact that the possessor of the tintinnabulation wore it not as a ritual act that expresses religious belief , but as a means of progress to use of the shock that Apollo ’s number represents . "
The sun god Apollo was " one of the most popular and revered deities in Eastern Mediterranean regions " at the end of the Second Temple stop , Shua Amorai - Stark , an expert on engrave gems and prof emerita in the Art & Aesthetics Department at Kaye Academic College of Education in Beersheba , Israel , said in the statement .
" Among Apollo ’s sector of responsibility , it is likely that association with Sunday and light ( as well as with logic , rationality , prophecy , and healing ) fascinated some Jews , give that the constituent of light versus darkness was prominently present in Jewish worldview in those daytime . " Amorai - Stark state . " The fact that the craftsman of this precious stone left the yellow - favorable and light - brown layer on the god ’s hairsbreadth probably indicates a desire to emphasise the aspect of light in the god ’s persona , as well as in the aura that surrounded his header . "
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Meanwhile , the decision to use a dark stone with highlighted light hair indicate that the Divine wanted to punctuate the " aspect of visible light and darkness and/or their connectedness , " she noted .
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