Researchers from the University of North Carolina in Charlotte discovered rare jewelry and other items on Mount Zion that suggested the destruction of Jerusalem did actually happen.
Archaeologists found a gold and silver earring, ash from the fires that burned the city, and arrowheads in one of their dig sites in Jerusalem, reports IFLScience.
Nobody abandons golden jewelry and nobody has arrowheads in their domestic refuse. —Dr. Shimon Gibson of the University of North Carolina
These artifacts supported the conclusion derived in 2017 following the discovery of layers of ash and smashed pottery around Jerusalem. Both findings proved the story in the Old Testament where Babylonian forces attacked the holy city and killed most of the population of Judah.
Those who were captured were taken as prisoners and tortured in Babylon. The exile lasted almost 50 years, around 587 BCE. However, researchers clarified that the Biblical account of the event is a bit exaggerated than what really happened during the siege.
The fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of King Solomon’s temple are significant events in the Bible. Jews mourned until this day the captivity of the Israelites and the plundering of Judah. One of the holiest days in the Jewish calendar is the fast of Tisha B’av which commemorates the destruction of the temple, reports Sputnik News.
Experts said the layers of ash contained arrowheads of the Scythian-style, known to have been used by Babylonian warriors. The earring was supposed to be left in a panic as the owner ran to safety when Babylonian forces took over Jerusalem.
Dr. Shimon Gibson of the University of North Carolina said, “Nobody abandons golden jewelry and nobody has arrowheads in their domestic refuse.”
Further, Dr. Gibson explained that the collection of items found at the site is the usual mess found in a household destroyed during a battle. “Household objects, lamps, broken bits from pottery which had been overturned and shattered… Frankly, jewelry is a rare find at conflict sites, because this is exactly the sort of thing that attackers will loot and later melt down.”