During a hike on Mount Carmel, 13-year-old Yair Whiteson from Haifa stumbled upon an 1800-year-old bronze ring engraved with the image of Athena. This remarkable find occurred near an ancient quarry site below Khirbet Shalala. Yair, an avid collector of fossils and rocks, initially thought the corroded item was a rusty bolt but soon realized it was a ring. Upon discovering an engraved figure on the ring, Yair and his family contacted the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA). The ring, confirmed to be from the Late Roman Period and likely belonging to a woman or girl, will now be displayed at the Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein National Campus for the Archaeology of Israel in Jerusalem as part of the IAA summer tours.
The family met with Nir Distelfeld, an inspector at the IAA’s theft prevention unit, who transferred the ring to the National Treasures Department for further examination. With the expertise of Prof. Shua Amorai-Stark, an ancient rings specialist from Kaye Academic College, the IAA confirmed the ring’s historical significance. Yair received a Good Citizenry commendation for his discovery.
The ring depicts the goddess Minerva (Athena in Greek mythology) and was found in a region rich with Roman-period remains, including a farmstead and burial caves. This discovery adds to the historical understanding of Khirbet Shalala, previously explored by renowned archaeologists. The ring’s display aims to educate the public about the area’s rich archaeological heritage, with further details available on the Israel Antiquities Authority website.
