Rare Menorah Pendant Unearthed Near Jerusalem’s Temple Mount
Jerusalem
Archaeologists have uncovered a rare 1,300-year-old lead pendant decorated with a seven-branched menorah during excavations near the southwestern corner of the Temple Mount, just north of the City of David.
The discovery took place at the Davidson Archaeological Park as part of a large-scale excavation led by the Israel Antiquities Authority, in cooperation with the City of David Foundation and the Company for the Reconstruction and Development of the Jewish Quarter. Experts say only one other ancient lead pendant bearing a menorah is known worldwide.
A Rare Object from a Restricted Era
Researchers date the pendant to the 6th to early 7th centuries CE, during the Late Byzantine period. At that time, Jewish presence in Jerusalem was severely restricted. Despite these limits, the artifact suggests that at least some Jews reached the city and carried personal symbols of faith.
Craftsmen cast the pendant in lead and decorated it on both sides with an identical menorah image. Archaeologists believe the owner wore it as a necklace, likely as a quiet expression of religious identity.
Discovery Inside a Buried Byzantine Structure
Workers found the pendant inside a layer of rubble within a Late Byzantine building. Later construction completely buried the structure under an eight-meter-thick fill layer.
Builders added this massive fill during the early 8th century, when Umayyad rulers erected monumental structures in the area. As a result, the Byzantine remains stayed sealed and preserved for centuries.
A Moment of Surprise and Excitement
City of David worker Ayayu Belete discovered the pendant while digging inside the ancient structure.
“I noticed something gray that looked different among the stones,” he recalled. “When I picked it up, I saw the menorah. I showed it immediately to the area director, and she told me how rare it was. I felt deeply moved.”
Public Display During Heritage Week
The Israel Antiquities Authority will display the pendant during Heritage Week at the Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein National Campus for the Archaeology of Israel in Jerusalem. Officials say the exhibit will allow the public to view a rare object that offers new insight into Jewish life during the Byzantine era.
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