JERUSALEM, Israel – Israeli archaeologists are inviting Israelis to see a unique artifact found outside Jerusalem as part of their Independence Day celebrations. The discovery is unique because it contains an iconic Jewish symbol found in a Christian site.
The 1,500-year-old ornate limestone piece once sat on top of an ancient column. The carved image on it surprised archaeologists.
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Excavation director Dr. Uzi Ad recalled, “At first, when we found it, we didn’t even recognize it was a menorah, because it was sitting upside down. Only afterward, when we started to examine it and flipped the image, we realized it was an eight-branched menorah.”
Ad says they discovered the artifact on the floor of a Byzantine-era building near a church.
“Usually, at the top of a capital, there is a flower. Here, suddenly, there’s a menorah, and that is unique,” he stated, and added, “The menorahs of that period were not standardized, so the symbol, the shape of the menorah, sometimes appears with seven branches, and sometimes with eight branches.”
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