BIBLE HISTORY DAILY

A Mysterious Menorah Pendant

Lead amulet uncovered in Jerusalem

The rare menorah pendant discovered near the Temple Mount. Courtesy Eliyahu Yanai, City of David.

According to historical sources, Jews were barred from entering Jerusalem during the Byzantine period (c. 324–634 CE). How then did a lead pendant, decorated with an image of the Temple menorah, end up in the ruins of a Byzantine structure near the Temple Mount? This is the question archaeologists are asking themselves after the discovery of the pendant during excavations in Jerusalem’s Old City.

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A Byzantine Jew in Jerusalem

Today, menorahs are a common symbol of Judaism, and that was no less the case during the sixth and seventh centuries. So, when archaeologists working in the Davidson Archaeological Park uncovered a lead pendant decorated with a menorah on both sides, it seemed evident that its owner must have been Jewish. However, that is far from the end of the story.

The pendant was excavated from a layer of rubble within a late Byzantine-period building, which was subsequently covered by a thick layer of fill deposited during Umayyad-period construction works. However, during the Byzantine period, Jews were not allowed into the city, let alone within reach of the Temple Mount. Although it is uncertain how the pendant ended up in the building, the archaeologists have a few ideas. The first possibility is that the restriction against Jews was not as complete as written sources suggest, and that the pendant’s owner may have come to the city as a merchant or administrator. Another possibility is that the individual hid their Jewish identity while carrying out a personal pilgrimage.

The excavation area where the rare pendant was discovered. Courtesy Emil Aladjem, Israel Antiquities Authority.

According to Yuval Baruch, one of the excavation’s directors, the choice of the menorah decoration was “not only the essence of a personal commitment to one’s religious faith, and perhaps even an expectation … for national revival, but it also attests that during periods when imperial edicts were issued prohibiting Jews from residing in the city, they did not stop coming.”

The small pendant was designed with a seven-branched menorah on either side, highlighted by a circular frame. On top of the pendant is a small fragmentary loop, indicating the piece was originally worn as a necklace. However, this was likely not a piece of jewelry. According to laboratory tests, the pendant is about 99 percent lead, an unusual material for jewelry of the time, and only one other such lead menorah pendant has ever been discovered. According to Baruch, this suggests the pendant served as an amulet, possibly to bring good luck or ensure safety, as lead was the typical material for such objects.

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