JERUSALEM - ISRAELI archeologists have discovered a 2,000-year-old gold earring beneath a parking lot next to the walls of Jerusalem's old city, the Israel Antiquities Authority said on Monday.

The discovery dates back to just after the time of Christ, during the Roman period, said Mr Doron Ben-Ami, director of excavation at the site.

The piece was found in a destroyed Byzantine structure built several centuries after the jewelled earring was made, showing it was likely passed down through generations, he said.

Archeologists unexpectedly discovered the earring in a corner of the Byzantine building while excavating. 'Suddenly one of the excavators came up shouting 'Eureka!'' Mr Ben-Ami recalled.

Mr Ben-Ami said the piece's placement in the destroyed building is what protected it from looters and kept it preserved. Its location also showed that it must be older than the house itself.

Experts were able to date the earring by comparing it to similar finds in Europe, where the Roman Empire also flourished.

The authority said the earring appeared to be crafted using a technique similar to that depicted in portraits from Roman-era Egypt.

The find is luxurious: A large pearl inlaid in gold with two drop pieces, each with an emerald and pearl set in gold.

'It must have belonged to someone of the elite in Jerusalem,' Mr Ben-Ami said.

'Such a precious item, it couldn't be one of just ordinary people.'

In a statement released on Monday, the authority said the piece of jewellery was 'astonishingly well-preserved.'

Finds from the Roman period are rare in Jerusalem, Mr Ben-Ami said, because the city was destroyed by the Roman Empire in the first century A.D.

Archaeologist Shimon Gibson, who was not involved in the dig, said the find was truly amazing, less because of its Roman origins than for its precious nature.

'Jewellery is hardly preserved in archaeological context in Jerusalem,' he said, because precious metals were often sold or melted down during the many historic takeovers of the city.

'It adds to the visual history of Jerusalem,' Mr Gibson added, saying it brings attention to the life of women in antiquity.

Though Mr Gibson dates the piece slightly later than the antiquities authority, to sometime between the second and fourth centuries A.D., he said its quality and beauty were impressive.

Mr Ben-Ami added that he expects more small, luxury items to turn up in future excavations. -- AP