Gold Phoenician Artifact Found in Israel May Support Bible Claims

A tiny 3,000-year-old temple-era pendant, claimed to be the ‘earliest gold artifact’ found in Jerusalem, was revealed to the public this week as part of a US-based exhibit of artifacts linked to the first temple era, with an archaeologist saying the item may be evidence that Phoenicians were in Jerusalem 3,000 years ago.

The four-millimeter gold pendant or earring is shaped like a basket with a solid foundation, with two semi-circular handles which extend above the base, overlapping to create a point where the pendant could have been hung from, as well as narrow gold wire wrapped around the top of the artifact.

The gold pendant was discovered a decade ago during excavations in the Ophel, an area to the south of Temple Mount in Jerusalem. However, it was only last year that the item began to drum up some interest, according to archaeologist Brent Nagtegaal of the Armstrong Institute of Biblical Archaeology – as reported by The Times of Israel.

First Temple-era Phoenician pendant ‘earliest gold artifact’ found in Jerusalem https://t.co/MrHjWWhscN

— The Times of Israel (@TimesofIsrael) February 27, 2024

Examination reportedly showed that the artifact is made of electrum – a gold and silver compound stronger than standard gold – which would make it “the earliest gold artifact ever discovered in an archaeological excavation in Jerusalem,” according to Nagtegaal.

Following comparisons between the item and existing research on similar artifacts, as well as seeking the opinion of experts from the Hebrew University and the Israeli Antiquities Authority, Nagtegaal determined that the pendant was of Phoenician origin.

Is the Gold Pendant Evidence of Phoenician Presence in Ancient Israel?

The artifact, “securely dated by archaeological context” to the 10th century BCE, represents “the best evidence so far that Phoenicians themselves were present in Jerusalem during the 10th century BCE, the time of King Solomon,” Nagtegaal claimed in an article announcing the research Monday.

Biblical scholars and archaeologists are allegedly keen to prove there were Phoenicians in Jerusalem during the first temple era and earlier, because it would give credit to biblical accounts of interactions between King Hiram of Tyre and both King David and King Solomon.

There is very little evidence to show that David or Solomon were real people, and even less in support of the Bible’s claim that Hiram, who ruled a large regional power, sent supplies and workers to help with the building of the first temple in Jerusalem.

Tyre, a significant hub of Phoenician culture which existed in what is now Lebanon, is referenced multiple times in the Hebrew Bible, ancient Greek writings, and other sources, including by Josephus.

The gold pendant may also support the thesis that there was trade between Phoenicia and Jerusalem at the time.

Previous finds from the Ophel area have confirmed “Phoenician cultural influence in Jerusalem” during the first temple period, Nagtegaal asserted. A full, thorough academic analysis of the item, along with a stratigraphy study of the area where it was found, will be published in the upcoming “The Ophel Excavations to the South of the Temple Mount, 2009-2013: Final Reports Volume III,” Nagtegaal wrote.

The gold Phoenician pendant went on display as part of the recently opened “King David and Solomon Discovered” exhibit at the Armstrong Auditorium in Edmond, Oklahoma, which will run until January 2025.

The exhibit is dedicated to the late Dr Eilat Mazar of the Hebrew University, the leading archaeologist who supervised excavations in the Ophen and City of David areas and who was a scholar of both ancient Jerusalem and Phoenician culture.