2,000-year-old bell found in Jerusalem rings again
2,000-year-old bell in Jerusalem: a 2,000-year-old bell has been discovered by Israeli archaeologists and rang for the first time in as many years.
2,000-year-old bell found by Israeli archaeologists in Jerusalem, Monday. The bell, dating back to the Second Jewish Temple period, was discovered in IAA excavations in a drainage channel, carved along the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City.
Ronen Zvulun/Reuters
A sound last heard 2,000 years ago is audible again.
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A tiny golden bell preserved in a Roman-era sewer underneath Jerusalem's Old City has been recovered by Israeli archaeologists.
The tiny orb, just one centimeter in diameter, was likely an ornament on the clothes of a wealthy resident.
The Book of Exodus mentions tiny golden bells sewn onto the hem of the robes of Temple priests, though it was not known if this bell was one of those.
Archaeologist Eli Shukron of the Israel Antiquities Authority says the bell likely fell off and rolled into the sewer as its owner walked by.
Shukron said it was a "very rare" find.
When he shook the bell Sunday, it emitted a faint metallic sound between a clink and a rattle.
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