A client e-mailed a link to the intriguing story of Megan Webb, the burgeoning archeologist whose day job was managing a ceramics shop in South Philadelphia. Returning to school to study archeology, Webb made a once-in-a-lifetime find at a Phoenician excavation in Israel: a 2,300-year-old gem stone with a carving of Alexander the Great. Pretty good for a first time out. [Read more with photo of gemstone, here.]

Excavation of a Roman-Celtic temple. Courtesy Wikipedia.

Webb made the news in her hometown, of course, but when I read that the director of the dig said it was “probably the most significant find to come out of the Mediterranean this year and maybe the last several years,” I was struck by how commonplace that made it sound. It seems so rare, I would have thought it to be the find of at least a decade.

So I did some online digging and found a mention of Webb’s discovery on the Archeological News Web site, along with a long, long list of DAILY finds.

No, people aren’t turning up gemstones with pre-Christian carvings every day, but I was struck by just how much amazing, valuable stuff is found through archeology around the world. Every day, something important is uncovered somewhere that informs science, teaches us about ourselves and, sometimes, makes someone famous and more successful.

Of course, Webb’s not getting rich with this gemstone. That will go to a museum. But being the finder certainly bodes well for her new career decision.

“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work,” said Thomas Edison.  Once again, I’m convinced that we never find the ring in the rubble if we don’t start digging. Archeologists get it! And they also get the idea that you have to dig for ring even if you’re not sure where it is or what it will look like when you find it.