1,300-Year-Old Menorah Pendant Discovered Near the Kotel

A rare lead pendant with the image of a seven-branched menorah, dating back about 1,300 years, has been uncovered during archaeological excavations at the Davidson Archaeological Park near the Kotel, Israeli researchers announced Monday.

The pendant dates to the late Byzantine period, a time when Jews were not allowed to enter Jerusalem under Byzantine rule. Its discovery near the heart of the city has drawn attention not only for its rarity, but for what it may reveal about Jewish presence and perseverance during one of the most restrictive chapters in Jerusalem’s history.

Ayayu Belete, a City of David worker who uncovered the pendant, described the moment of discovery as unexpected and emotional. “One day, in the afternoon, while I was excavating inside an ancient structure, I suddenly noticed something different, gray, among the stones,” he recalled. “I pulled it from the soil and realized it was a pendant with a menorah on it. I immediately showed it to Esther, the excavation director, and she said it was an especially rare find.”

The artifact was found as part of an ongoing excavation led by the Israel Antiquities Authority, in cooperation with the City of David Foundation and the Company for the Restoration and Development of the Jewish Quarter. Researchers believe the pendant was worn by a Jewish individual who came to Jerusalem despite the prohibitions in place at the time.

The pendant is disc-shaped, with a small loop at the top indicating it was worn on a cord or chain. Identical menorah images appear on both sides, enclosed within circular frames. One side of the pendant is well preserved, while the other shows signs of natural weathering. The menorah is shown with a central stem and three branches on each side, with small flames on top of each branch.

Laboratory analysis revealed that the pendant is composed of approximately 99 percent lead, a material rarely used for decorated objects of this kind. “A pendant made of pure lead, decorated with a menorah, is an exceptionally rare find,” researchers Dr. Yuval Baruch, Dr. Filip Vukosavović, Esther Rakow-Mellet, and Dr. Shulamit Terem from the Israel Antiquities Authority said in a joint statement. “While pendants decorated with a menorah are known from glass and other metals, only one other lead pendant bearing the menorah is known worldwide.”

The double appearance of the menorah on both sides of the pendant was not accidental, the researchers further explained. “The double appearance of the menorah on both sides of the disc points to the deep significance of the symbol and its central place in expressing connection to the Temple and its memory, even long after its destruction,” they said.

Dr. Yuval Baruch emphasized that the pendant should be understood as more than a decorative object. “This pendant is not just a material object; it is a personal seal, a document of memory and identity, which likely belonged to an anonymous Jew who chose to wear it around his neck,” he said. The choice to wear such an item, Baruch noted, also serves as quiet testimony that Jews continued to reach Jerusalem even when they were officially forbidden from doing so.

Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu said the discovery adds to a growing body of evidence pointing to uninterrupted Jewish attachment to Jerusalem. “This moving discovery joins a series of findings that tell the story of the continuity and devotion of the Jewish people in Jerusalem,” he said. “Even in periods when Jews were prohibited from entering the city, the connection never ceased.”