7th CENTURY GOLD DISCOVERED
IN ISRAEL
A treasure trove
containing thirty-six gold coins and precious gold and silver jewelry dating
back to early seventh century AD has been unearthed near the Temple Mount in
Israel. The excavations by Hebrew University of Jerusalem archaeologist Dr
Eilat Mazar also consists of a 10-cm gold medallion with the menorah (Temple
candelabrum), a shofar (ram's horn) and a Torah scroll symbol etched into it.
Mazar called the discovery "a breathtaking, once-in-a-lifetime discovery."
"Discovering a golden seven-branched Menorah from the seventh century AD
at the foot of the Temple Mount was a complete surprise," said Mazar. The
discovery can be dated to the late Byzantine period or early seventh century
AD. The gold treasure was discovered in a ruined Byzantine public structure a
mere 50 meters from the Temple Mount's southern wall. The position of the items
as they were discovered indicates that one bundle was carefully hidden
underground while the second bundle was apparently abandoned in haste and
scattered across the floor. Given the date of the items and the manner in which
they were found, Mazar estimates they were abandoned in the context of the
Persian conquest of Jerusalem in 614 AD. Hanging from a gold chain, the menorah
medallion is most likely an ornament for a Torah scroll. In that case it is the
earliest Torah scroll ornament found in archaeological excavations to date. It
was buried in a small depression in the floor, along with a smaller gold
medallion, two pendants, a gold coil and a silver clasp, all of which are
believed to be Torah scroll ornamentations. "It would appear that the most
likely explanation is that the Ophel cache was earmarked as a contribution
towards the building of a new synagogue, at a location that is near the Temple
Mount," said Mazar. The Ophel cache is only the third collection of gold
coins to be found in archaeological excavations in Jerusalem, said Lior
Sandberg, numismatics specialist at the Institute of Archaeology. Found with
the coins were a pair of large gold earrings, a gold-plated silver hexagonal
prism and a silver ingot.
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