Jerusalem Discovery of Small Menorah Temple Artifact Reveals Jewish Connection to City's Ancient History

JERUSALEM, Israel – In Israel, it is said that each stone tells a story, and sometimes, the smallest discoveries speak the loudest. Now, A tiny 1,300-year-old artifact is shedding new light on a pivotal historic moment and the enduring faith of Israel's people.

Filip Vukosavović of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) told CBN News, "So, we're talking about something incredible, never discovered before in the history of archaeology."

In Israel, discoveries such as a small piece of jewelry can reshape how we understand the past.

Vukosavović described one piece recently discovered and its location: "An excavation right under the southwest corner of the Temple Mount...a pendant made out of lead, 100 percent, that depicts both sides of a Temple menorah.

For scholars at the Israel Antiquities Authority, this artifact offers a window into Jerusalem's history.

The IAA building itself is a marvel. We came into it on the ground level and stood under a giant canopy meant to duplicate what it's like to be inside of an archaeological dig. Inside, we found the national treasures of Israel.

Vukosavović directs the IAA's publications department and has spent his career studying rare artifacts.

We asked, “What does it mean to you as an archeologist when you find an item of this rarity?” 

He replied, “It's such a small thing. It tells us a huge story.” 

One must go back nearly 1,300 years to understand it.

Vukosavović noted, "Early 17th century A.D., the very late Byzantine Period, for approximately five hundred years, Jews were not allowed to dwell in Jerusalem by the royal decree."

He added, "At the very end of the Byzantine Period, the Jews were finally allowed, after a few hundred years, to come back. And where will they settle? Of course, next to the Temple Mount."

The pendant comes from a time of transition.

We traveled to the nearby Tower of David, near the Old City's Jaffa Gate, and talked with Dr. Oren Gutfeld, an archaeologist from Hebrew University.

He noted, "Here at the Tower of David, they have the best explanation of the different periods of the city of Jerusalem. Now, let's look at a map of the city. Notice the Temple Mount, but there are no structures during the Byzantine period because the temple had been destroyed."

Gutfeld continued, "But we fast forward to the Islamic period, and we have the Dome of the Rock, the Al-Aqsa mosque, and these right here, Umayyad structures, these are the palaces that were built right on top of the village where our menorah was found.” 

Dr. Gutfeld explained that for centuries, life in Jerusalem was limited. 

"We don't know much about Jewish life in Jerusalem in the late Byzantine period. Under the rule of Justinian, the Byzantine emperor from 527 to 565, there are many, many restrictions about Jewish life in Jerusalem."

Archaeologists and researchers studying ancient artifacts continue to fill in the gaps of history.

Gutfeld observed, "From the lead pendant, we know that there is at least a community of people or Jews who came to pray in Jerusalem, to visit the holy places in Jerusalem. Outside of Jerusalem, prosperity, beautiful synagogues that were built all over the Galilee, and other places, but not in Jerusalem.” 

However, the pendant suggests that the connection never disappeared, even in a time of uncertainty for Jews in Jerusalem. 

Vukosavović told us, "You see that even though the Temple was destroyed almost 600 years earlier, before this was worn, still, that connection is so strong."

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We asked Vukosavović how he responds, as a scientist with a PhD, to dubious online claims about Israel's history.

He answered, "As a scholar, I can say that archaeology is an incredible tool to show history." He added, "We document, we excavate, we publish, and anybody who wants to check anything from the modern times, all the way to ancient times."

We asked him why the lead pendant was housed in the Knesset, Israel's parliament, before he brought it for us to see.

 He responded, "Jewish history, Jewish presence in this region for three thousand years...all the way from the Old Testament period time to this very day...and these small items clearly show that."

As Israel makes headlines around the globe, the 1300-year-old pendant and the Israel Antiquities Authority continue to provide evidence of an ancient connection between the Jewish people and this land.