1,300-year-old menorah-decorated pendant found near Temple Mount in Jerusalem

A cast-lead round pendant decorated with a seven-branched menorah on both sides, dating back approximately 1,300 years, has been discovered during an archaeological excavation at the Davidson Archaeological Park in Jerusalem, near the Temple Mount, the Israel Antiquities Authority announces.

According to IAA experts, the discovery marks the first time such a pendant made of lead has been unearthed in an archaeological excavation.

“Research has identified pendants of glass and other metals decorated with a menorah, but we know of only one other pendant in the world bearing the symbol of the menorah, made of lead,” IAA researchers Dr. Yuval Baruch, Dr. Filip Vukosavović, Esther Rakow-Mellet, and Dr. Shulamit Terem explain in a statement. “That pendant, of unknown origin, is housed in The Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, USA.”

“The double appearance of the menorah on each side of the disc indicates the deep significance of this symbol, and the central place of the menorah in the visual expression of connection to the Temple and its memory, even in periods long after the destruction of the Temple,” they add.

The archaeologists uncovered it in the remains of a late Byzantine building from the late 6th/early 7th century, a period when, according to historical sources, Jews were not allowed to enter Jerusalem.

“In recent years, there is increased archaeological evidence that shows that Jews, despite all the prohibitions and difficulties imposed on them, found ways to reach Jerusalem – and it is possible that there were even some who settled there,” Baruch says.

The excavation is being carried out by the IAA in cooperation with the City of David Foundation and the Company for the Restoration and Development of the Jewish Quarter.