An over 1,500-year-old column capital decorated with an eight-branched menorah is set to be revealed to the public for the first time at the Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein National Campus for the Archaeology of Israel in Jerusalem during Independence Day events in 2025. The Israel Antiquities Authority announced that the rare artifact serves as a tangible testimony to the deep connection of the Jewish people to Jerusalem and the Land of Israel over thousands of years.
"The discovery of the column capital decorated with a menorah is a tangible testimony to the deep and unassailable connection of the Jewish people to Jerusalem and the Land of Israel over thousands of years," said Israel’s Minister of Heritage Amihai Eliyahu. "This rare archaeological find, which has no parallels in the world, constitutes a bridge between our glorious past and the renewal of our independence in the State of Israel."
The capital, made of limestone, was uncovered in 2020 during excavations by the Israel Antiquities Authority before the construction of a new entrance to the city, which was financed by Netivei Israel. It is a rare architectural artifact with no archaeological parallels, discovered lying upside down on the floor of a room in a structure dating to the Byzantine period (6th-7th centuries CE).
"It seems this capital stood atop a column in a magnificent building or on a street, in a late Roman period settlement here (2nd-4th century CE)," said Dr. Ozi Ad and Anna Eirich, excavation managers on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, according to Kan. "This was a settlement that was inhabited, apparently, by descendants of discharged Roman soldiers. If so, what was a capital with a menorah decoration—a clear Jewish symbol—doing there? This is a mystery."
Since its discovery, the capital was studied by experts from the Israel Antiquities Authority and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, undergoing a range of scientific and historical investigations. Researchers believe that the capital was placed in the structure in secondary use, changing its original purpose, and that originally, it adorned an older building.
In classical periods, architectural capitals that stood atop columns were meant to support beams that held the ceilings of buildings. Typically, capitals were decorated with floral motifs, and sometimes with symbols; in this case, with a menorah. The upper part of each of the four sides of the capital was decorated with an eight-branched menorah, while each side of the capital's lower section is decorated with eight leaves. A vertical element resembling the leg of a menorah is carved above the upper part of the central leaf on each face of the capital.
Dr. Orit Peleg-Barkat from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem noted that while Corinthian capitals with smooth leaves were common from the late Second Temple period through the Byzantine periods, the capital discovered at Mitzpeh has unique characteristics and appears to be the work of an artisan less familiar with urban architectural conventions. "Perhaps his limited acquaintance with the accepted model led him to create a model resembling a symmetrical menorah with eight branches," she added. "It is possible that the carver of the capital did not intend to depict a menorah, but a flower."
Dr. Yuval Baruch, Deputy Director of Archaeology at the Israel Antiquities Authority, described the stone capital from Mitzpeh, decorated with an eight-branched menorah, as a unique and rare find. He emphasized its significance as evidence of a Jewish settlement, especially given the destruction of Jewish communities in the Jerusalem mountains during the Bar Kokhba revolt.
Menorahs, usually seven-branched, typically appear on capitals that adorned synagogues from the late Roman and Byzantine periods, such as the synagogue in Capernaum and in Caesarea. However, the capital features an eight-branched candelabrum in its upper section, resembling a schematic menorah, which is unusual as no evidence of an ancient synagogue was found at the site.
Eli Eskosido, Director of the Israel Antiquities Authority, announced that the stone capital will be presented to the public as part of the commitment to make the cultural assets of the Land of Israel accessible, and emphasized the importance of connecting to roots and values during this time. He invites the public to guided tours at the new National Campus for Archaeology in Jerusalem to appreciate the rare item.
The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.