A 10-year-old boy in Jerusalem made an exciting discovery last month while looking for edible plants during a field trip. Nehorai Nir was searching the ground when he spotted what he thought was a pomegranate. “I ran to pick it up and discovered a worm inside, so I reluctantly put it down,” he said. However, on his way back, Nir said, “I suddenly saw a colorful object shining in the dirt. I pulled it out and was immediately very excited.” Nir had discovered a gold cross medallion made with a micro-mosaic technique, according to the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA). “The staff told me to call the Israel Antiquities Authority, and when they came, they were very enthused,” said Nir.

Dr. Amit Re’em examined the cross, determining it to be somewhere between 100 and 200 years old, not considered antiquity, but still valuable. “This cross [medallion] is not considered an antiquity by law as it is ‘only’ 100-200 hundred years old or so, but it is a unique object,” wrote the IAA in a post about the discovery. “The manufacturing method demanded expert craftsmanship which includes setting glass and tiny [colorful] precious stones, placed with exceeding precision to form miniature patterns.” The site where the cross was discovered, Ein Karem, is also significant to Christianity, as it is considered the site of the town of Judah, where Mary’s cousin, Elizabeth, lived and gave birth to John the Baptist. The site has become a popular pilgrimage spot for Christians, with two churches, the Church of the Visitation and the Church of Saint John, having been constructed at the site. “This cross is a testament to the personal story of a pilgrim who visited Ein Karem 100–200 years ago, reflecting the centrality of the Holy Land to the three monotheistic religions,” said Dr. Re’em. “People were willing to cross deserts, mountains, and seas, often over the course of years, just to touch the soil where it all began. The cross may have arrived with a pilgrim from Europe and fallen during their journey in the Land of Israel, or perhaps it was purchased here in Jerusalem.”

IAA Director Eli Escusido praised the timeliness of the find. “This exciting find in the very month that Christians celebrate Christmas puts the spotlight on Ein Karem as a central place of Christian pilgrimage in the Land of Israel,” he said. He also thanked Nir for reporting the find.

“Through the medium of a small but unique object, we are exposed to the story of one individual’s thrilling personal journey, which connects us to the past history of this site and to the world of the pilgrims.”