The Israel Antiquities Authority has unearthed a 1,300‑year‑old lead pendant engraved with a seven‑branched menorah beneath the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Dated to the Late Byzantine period and recovered under about 26 feet of fill, the disc is the second known lead menorah pendant worldwide and tested 99% lead. Researchers say the object likely served as a personal emblem or amulet, signaling enduring Jewish devotion to Jerusalem despite historical prohibitions; it will be exhibited in Jerusalem during Hanukkah.
Rare 1,300‑Year‑Old Lead Menorah Pendant Unearthed Beneath Jerusalem’s Temple Mount
Experts Found a Rare Pendant Beneath a TempleOliver Strewe - Getty Images
Archaeologists working in Jerusalem have uncovered an exceptionally rare lead pendant engraved with a seven‑branched menorah beneath the southwestern corner of the Temple Mount. Dated to the Late Byzantine period (roughly the 6th to early 7th century C.E.), the small disc is only the second known lead menorah pendant in the world.
Discovery and Context
The pendant was recovered during excavations in Davidson Archaeological Park, found under approximately 26 feet of fill deposited during construction related to an Islamic monument built at the start of the 8th century. A City of David worker, Ayayu Belete, described the moment of discovery:
“One day while I was digging inside an ancient structure, I suddenly saw something different, gray, among the stones. I picked it up and saw that it was a pendant with a menorah on it.”
Description and Analysis
The disc‑shaped pendant has a suspension loop at the top and bears an identical seven‑branched menorah on both faces: a central shaft flanked by three arms on each side, each arm topped by a horizontal crossbar and a flame. Laboratory analysis determined the object to be 99 percent lead. One face is well preserved while the opposite side shows a heavy patina.
Researchers from the Israel Antiquities Authority note that menorah imagery appears on pendants made of glass and other metals, but a lead example is nearly unique. The only other known lead menorah pendant is in the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore.
Significance and Interpretation
Yuval Baruch of the Israel Antiquities Authority described the pendant as more than jewelry: “This pendant, bearing the symbol of the menorah, is not just a material object; it is a personal seal—an emblem of memory and identity—likely owned by an anonymous Jew who chose to wear it.” Lead was commonly used for amulets in the period, suggesting devotional or protective use rather than simple ornamentation.
The pendant’s presence near the Temple Mount is striking because it dates to a period when Jews were officially restricted from entering Jerusalem. Scholars propose several possible explanations: it may have been brought by a clandestine pilgrim, carried by a Jewish merchant or official on legitimate business, or left during a brief or unofficial visit.
Amichai Eliyahu, Israel’s minister of heritage, said: “The find underlines the persistence of the connection between Jews and Jerusalem, even during times when access was restricted.”
Exhibition and Ongoing Research
The Israel Antiquities Authority plans to display the pendant during Hanukkah at the Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein National Campus for the Archaeology of Israel in Jerusalem. Researchers say the object adds a rare, personal dimension to the study of Jewish devotional life and memory in the centuries after the Temple’s destruction.
This discovery contributes to a growing archaeological record that shows some Jews continued to reach or remain in Jerusalem despite legal and social prohibitions, and it provides a tangible link between later Jewish devotional practice and the memory of the Temple.
