The discovery of a rare gemstone at a biblical site linked to Jesus' ministry has shed light on life in ancient Galilee. The gemstone, identified as a Nicolo, a rare variety of agate, was found at Korazim National Park near the Sea of Galilee.
Korazim is mentioned in the New Testament as a place where residents witnessed Jesus' miracles but failed to repent. The site sits roughly two miles north of Capernaum, the ancient fishing village that served as the center of Jesus' ministry. The gemstone, which dates to the sixth century A.D., is a small, striking pale-blue center.
The discovery was made by a 12-year-old student, Alon Horowitz, who was taking part in a community excavation program at the Ramat Korazim Regional Elementary School. Horowitz was working alongside archaeologists and learning about ancient life as part of a program organized by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority in partnership with Ariel University.
According to Horowitz, he found the gemstone just minutes before the dig wrapped up. "After three days of digging, about 10 minutes before we finished, I was digging with my trowel and suddenly saw something blue, round and special," Horowitz said. "I picked it up and showed it to the archaeologist. When I understood it was something rare, I felt really happy and proud."
The gemstone was likely part of an expensive ring worn by a local elite, said Achia Kohn-Tavor, director of excavations at Chorazin. Archaeologists believe it could have belonged to either a man or a woman. While they do not know how the stone ended up buried at the site, they believe it reached Korazim through long-distance trade routes that connected the region to the broader Roman and Byzantine world.
The stone was not locally sourced, indicating that the owner had access to international luxury goods. This discovery is not the first remarkable archaeological find made by an Israeli child. In May, an 8-year-old boy from Rehovot found a 1,700-year-old Roman statuette fragment, and last year, a 3-year-old Israeli girl discovered a 3,800-year-old Canaanite amulet while hiking with her family near Tel Azeka.
