An oddly shaped gold object found in an old Jerusalem cemetery, which so confounded the Israeli Antiquities Authority that it appealed to the Israeli public for help in identifying it, is actually a New Age-style “energy protection” device available for sale online from a company in Germany, The Times of Israel has ascertained.
In a post on its official Facebook page, the IAA showed the 8.5-kilogram item in question in the declared hope that crowdsourcing would aid archaeologists in solving the riddle.
What was currently known, aside from the weight of the gold-plated “mysterious object,” object, the baffled IAA said, was that it was found in a building in an unspecified Jerusalem cemetery.
It said it was not clear whether the object was historical or modern.
“This looks like it was made by a CNC machine,” one Facebook user posted, referring to a type of computer operated mill. The Antiquities Authority confirmed that “this may certainly be a modern object.”
In fact, the “mysterious object” is what is known as a “gilded Isis Beamer.”
It is one of a range of “energetic protection” devices designed to ensure energy harmony in “your home, [at] your PC workstation and when travelling.”
It is sold online by a German firm called Weber, which offers a range of bio-energy systems and technologies.
Some researchers believe there are treasures from the Jewish temples hidden throughout Jerusalem’s western Valley of the Cross, and thus the authority initially reached out to religious as well scientific experts.
Nontheless, the authority assumed it was in most likelihood modern: “It was placed inside a plastic pipe, covered in cotton and preserved with an anti-oxidant. The pipe was buried a meter and a half underground.
“Since its discovery, Antiquities Authority officials have been trying to understand what this object is. It was sent to a lab at the Weizmann Institute of Science, and was discovered to be plated in nickel gold, but made from a single metal,” said Amir Ganor, head of the authority’s anti-theft unit.
“At first we thought it was a military object, but then began to dream. I have been in this business for a long time and cannot recall such a mystery,” Ganor said.
Source:
timesofisrael.com
