12-year-old finds ancient gemstone in Galilean Jewish village cursed by Jesus

Sixth-grader Alon Horowitz finds rare ‘Nicolo’ stone, likely dating back at least 1,500 years, during community excavation at Korazim National Park

A 12-year-old schoolboy recently discovered a precious gemstone dating back at least 1,500 years in the Korazim National Park in the Upper Galilee, the Israel Nature and Parks Authority said Monday. Korazim was an ancient Jewish village that, according to the New Testament, was cursed by Jesus for rejecting his teachings.

The stone, a prestigious variety of agate known as “Nicolo,” which was probably set in a piece of jewelry from Roman or Byzantine times (1st – 6th centuries CE), was found by Alon Horowitz during a community excavation carried out by the Parks Authority in cooperation with Ariel University in the West Bank.

“After three days of excavations, about 10 minutes before we finished, I was digging with a pickaxe and suddenly saw something blue, round, and special,” Horowitz, who is attending Ramat Korazim Regional Elementary School, said, according to a statement by the Parks Authority. “I picked it up and showed it to the archaeologist. When I realized it was something rare, I felt really happy and proud.”

Located a few kilometers north of the Sea of Galilee, Korazim was the site of a Jewish village for about a millennium, starting from the end of the Second Temple Period around 2,000 years ago until the 11th century CE.

The town is mentioned in both the gospels of Matthew and Luke as one of the locations that did not heed his teachings.

“Then [Jesus] began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent: ‘Woe to you, Chorazin!’” reads a passage from Matthew (11:20-21, New King James Version).

Remains from the Byzantine period, when the Talmudic sages lived, include an impressive synagogue, a ritual bath, a winepress, an olive press, and other agricultural installations.

According to Director of Excavation Achia Cohen Tavor of Ariel University, the Nicolo stone was popular in Roman times as a clear status symbol of prestige and high social standing, suggesting that Korazim was also home to wealthier individuals.

“Small finds like this open a large window into the personal lives of the residents of ancient Korazim, not only its buildings and streets, but also to their world of beauty, personal status, and connections,” he said in the statement.

The recent find does not mark the first time a young visitor has come across a rare artifact by chance at the Korazim National Park.

In 2021, a girl found a 1,500-year-old bronze coin on the ground.