1,800 Year Old Roman Boxer Figurine Found in Jerusalem

by Tina Kells | January 28, 2009 at 02:15 pm

177 views | 0 Recommendations | 0 comments

An archeological dig at the City of David compound in the Palestinian neighbourhood of Silwan in east Jerusalem has unearthed a rare find, an 1,800 year old marble figurine believed to have been from the Roman Empire.

The ancient figurine was found among hundreds of gold coins at the City of David dig site and is believed to have been a weight used as a monetary measure. The 1,800 year old find is believed to depict the bust of a Roman boxer and is but one of many treasures uncovered during the dig.

The Roman boxer figurine is one of the oldest of its kind ever discovered.

"The high level of finish on the figurine is extraordinary, while meticulously adhering to the tiniest of details," Doron Ben-Ami and Yana Tchekhanovets, directors of the excavation, said in a joint statement released Monday. Nothing similar has ever been uncovered in Israel, they said, calling it a "unique find."

Carved from pale yellow marble, archeologists think the figurine was most likely carried to Jerusalem by a merchant.

Archaeologists believe the figurine was used as a weight for a hanging scale of a type common in the Roman period. Tiny holes drilled in its neck were likely used to attach it to the scale, and remnants of metal remain.