{"id":21176,"date":"2025-04-29T11:00:37","date_gmt":"2025-04-29T08:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/?p=21176"},"modified":"2025-04-29T14:51:05","modified_gmt":"2025-04-29T11:51:05","slug":"ancient-capital-bearing-unique-menorah-to-be-displayed-for-independence-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/ancient-capital-bearing-unique-menorah-to-be-displayed-for-independence-day\/","title":{"rendered":"Ancient Archeological Find Bearing Unique Menorah to Be Unveiled Independence Day"},"content":{"rendered":"

A rare limestone column capital (the top of the column), decorated with an eight-branched menorah, will be unveiled to the public for the first time as part of Israel\u2019s 77th Independence Day celebrations.<\/p>\n

The artifact will be the centerpiece of the new exhibition at the National Campus for the Archaeology of Israel in Jerusalem\u2014the flagship project of the Israel Antiquities Authority.<\/p>\n

The capital was discovered about three years ago during archaeological excavations by the Israel Antiquities Authority, ahead of the construction of the new entrance bridge to Jerusalem. It was found lying upside down on the floor of a room in an ancient structure and has since been studied by researchers from the Israel Antiquities Authority and the Hebrew University.<\/p>\n

\"\"
The capital as it was discovered at the site | Photo: Yuli Schwartz, Israel Antiquities Authority<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

An Archaeological Mystery: What Is a Menorah Doing in a Roman Settlement?<\/strong>
\nResearchers believe the capital originally crowned a column in a building or on the main street of a Roman-Byzantine settlement, likely inhabited by retired Roman soldiers. The appearance of a menorah\u2014a clear Jewish symbol\u2014on such a capital raises intriguing questions.<\/p>\n

\"\"
The stone capital, the only one of its kind worldwide | Photo: Arkadi Ostrovsky, Israel Antiquities Authority<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dr. Uzi Ad and Anna Eirikh, directors of the excavation, note that it remains a mystery how a menorah came to be found in an area without evidence of a synagogue or a confirmed Jewish presence from that period.<\/p>\n

\"\"
In honor of Independence Day, the capital is displayed at the National Campus for the Archaeology of Israel | Photo: Yuli Schwartz, Israel Antiquities Authority<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

National Symbol or Random Artifact<\/strong>
\nAccording to Dr. Yuval Baruch, Deputy Director of Archaeology at the Israel Antiquities Authority, the menorah “became a distinctly Jewish symbol shortly after the destruction of the Second Temple, and such a find\u2014especially a heavy stone\u2014could indicate a Jewish settlement. However, the absence of additional evidence makes it impossible to confirm this with certainty. It is possible that the capital was brought from elsewhere and reused.”<\/p>\n

He added that the capital’s discovery specifically in the Motza area, in the Jerusalem hills\u2014an area believed to have been largely devoid of Jews following the suppression of the Bar Kokhba revolt\u2014is particularly noteworthy.<\/p>\n

\"\"
The excavation site in Motza | Photo: Eyal Marco, Israel Antiquities Authority<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Public Unveiling During Independence Day Celebrations<\/strong>
\nMinister of Heritage, MK Amichai Eliyahu, welcomed the public unveiling of the discovery, saying, “This is tangible evidence of the undeniable bond between the Jewish people and Jerusalem. This capital, unique in the world, bridges a glorious past with a renewed independence.”
\nIsrael Antiquities Authority Director-General Eli Eskosido also emphasized the public significance of the find, saying, “We invite the public to join guided tours and reconnect with their roots. There is no better time to reveal such a discovery than during the Independence Day festivities.”<\/p>\n

\"\"
Anna Eirikh, excavation director, cleaning the capital after its discovery | Photo: Yuli Schwartz, Israel Antiquities Authority<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The capital, featuring an eight-branched menorah and a foot-like element carved on each of its four sides, may be more than an extraordinary decorative item\u2014it offers an additional glimpse into the development of Jewish identity in the Land of Israel.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An extraordinary archaeological discovery from the Byzantine period will be revealed for the first time at the National Campus for the Archaeology of Israel\u2014a decorated stone bearing a mysterious menorah, unparalleled worldwide.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":35,"featured_media":21179,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2576,1,85],"tags":[4909,4910,2009,1493,3775],"class_list":["post-21176","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archeology","category-culture","category-positive-moment","tag-archaeological-excavations","tag-byzantine-period","tag-israel-antiquities-authority","tag-jerusalem","tag-jewish-heritage"],"yoast_head":"\nAncient Archeological Find Bearing Unique Menorah to Be Unveiled Independence Day - REGA news<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ancient Archeological Find Bearing Unique Menorah to Be Unveiled Independence Day\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"An extraordinary archaeological discovery from the Byzantine period will be revealed for the first time at the National Campus for the Archaeology of Israel\u2014a decorated stone bearing a mysterious menorah, unparalleled worldwide.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/ancient-capital-bearing-unique-menorah-to-be-displayed-for-independence-day\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"REGA news\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-04-29T08:00:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-04-29T11:51:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/arch1.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"768\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"432\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"By Menachem Marton\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"By Menachem Marton\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/ancient-capital-bearing-unique-menorah-to-be-displayed-for-independence-day\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/ancient-capital-bearing-unique-menorah-to-be-displayed-for-independence-day\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"By Menachem Marton\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/85289d9583f8c0d96ade025fd71ebd5a\"},\"headline\":\"Ancient Archeological Find Bearing Unique Menorah to Be Unveiled Independence Day\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-04-29T08:00:37+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-04-29T11:51:05+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/ancient-capital-bearing-unique-menorah-to-be-displayed-for-independence-day\/\"},\"wordCount\":586,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/ancient-capital-bearing-unique-menorah-to-be-displayed-for-independence-day\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/arch1.webp\",\"keywords\":[\"Archaeological Excavations\",\"Byzantine Period\",\"Israel antiquities authority\",\"Jerusalem\",\"Jewish heritage\"],\"articleSection\":[\"ARCHEOLOGY\",\"CULTURE\",\"POSITIVE\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/ancient-capital-bearing-unique-menorah-to-be-displayed-for-independence-day\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/ancient-capital-bearing-unique-menorah-to-be-displayed-for-independence-day\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/ancient-capital-bearing-unique-menorah-to-be-displayed-for-independence-day\/\",\"name\":\"Ancient Archeological Find Bearing Unique Menorah to Be Unveiled Independence Day - 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