GOLD RINGS FOR YOUNG GIRLS: RITUAL DEPOSITION OF CHILDREN’S JEWELRY IN A DOMESTIC CONTEXT IN HELLENISTIC-PERIOD JERUSALEM

This article examines four gold ornaments and three bronze earrings dated to the late third–early second centuries BCE, retrieved from Building 110 in the Giv'ati Parking Lot (GPL) excavations in Jerusalem. Based on their intact state, intrinsic value and similar contexts, we propose that the artifacts were intentionally deposited in or below the building’s floors on different occasions. Technological and stylistic analyses connect the jewelry to broader Hellenistic polychrome traditions, and the exceptionally small rings suggest that they belonged to young children, most likely girls. Based on Greek epigraphic and literary evidence for female rites of passage, specifically premarital dedication of childhood objects, we propose that the jewelry deposits reflect a local domestic adaptation of Hellenistic coming-of-age rituals. This study demonstrates how careful reading of small finds in specific household contexts can shed light on elusive ritual behavior and on cultural interaction in Hellenistic Judea.