Daily Mail UK
A stunning 2,000-year-old lilac amethyst stone has been discovered in Jerusalem, including the first known depiction of balsam, a plant featured in the Bible.
It would once have been worn on a ring, and includes an unusual engraving of a bird and a branch from a plant bearing five fruits, according to experts from the City of David Foundation, who found it during excavations of the Western Wall foundations.
The branch engraved on the stone was from an expensive plant used to make perfume for the temple, and is featured prominently in the Bible and other records.