BIBLE HISTORY DAILY

Golden Bell Possibly Worn by Temple Priest Found in Jerusalem

Bible and archaeology news

A 2,000-year-old golden bell, perhaps worn by a Temple priest, was discovered last week by Israeli archaeologists excavating an ancient sewer line in Jerusalem’s Old City. The golden orb, which measures only half an inch in diameter, makes a faint metallic sound when shaken and has a small loop that allowed it to be sewn into the hem of a garment. According to Exodus 28:33, such ornamental bells, along with decorative pomegranates, adorned the robes of Temple priests.

The bell was found during the excavation of a Roman-era sewer that runs beneath Jerusalem’s Old City. According to Eli Shukron of the Israel Antiquities Authority, the bell’s owner likely “walked in the street, and somehow the golden bell fell from his garment into the drainage channel.”