Archaeologists find 2,300-yr-old gold ring in Jerusalem
Tel Aviv, May 27: Archaeologists in Jerusalem have discovered a 2,300-year-old gold ring believed to have belonged to a child living in the city’s Hellenistic period.
The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) said in a statement that the ring, set with a red gem, was “exceedingly well-preserved” with no signs of rust or weathering.
It was unearthed recently at the City of David archaeological site by Tehiya Gangate, a member of the excavation team.
“I was sifting earth through the screen and suddenly saw something glitter,” Gangate said.
“This is an emotionally moving find, not the kind you find every day,” she added.
Researchers believe the ring probably belonged to a child due to its small size.
It was “manufactured by hammering thin pre-cut gold leaves onto a metal ring base,” the IAA statement said.
The ring was dated to around 300 BC.
The statement said it “reflects the common fashion of the Persian and Early Hellenistic periods, dating from the late 4th to the early 3rd century BC,” when “people began to prefer gold with set stones rather than decorated gold”.
At the time, the region was under the dominion of Alexander the Great’s Macedonian Empire.
Alexander’s conquests “helped spread and transport luxury goods and products,” the statement said. The latest finding reveals that Jerusalem’s residents “were open to the widespread Hellenistic style and influences,” the researchers said. (IANS)
Musk’s xAI raises $ 6 bn to develop AI
San Francisco, May 27: A group of investors will put up USD 6 billion to fund development of artificial intelligence by Elon Musk’s xAI. The company said on its website Sunday that the Series B funding round will be used to take xAI’s first products to market and speed up research.
xAI said it has made “significant strides” during the past year in developing the technology, which will continue in the coming months.
Investors in the latest round include Andreessen Horowitz, Sequoia Capital, Fidelity Management & Research, Valor Equity Partners, Vy Capital, Saudi Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal and Kingdom Holding.
Musk wrote on the social media site X that before the investment, xAI had a valuation of USD 18 billion.
The funding should help Musk’s company compete in a race to develop artificial intelligence against Microsoft and Open AI, which created Chat GPT.
Musk announced formation of the company in July of last year and released its artificial intelligence chatbot called Grok in November. (AP)