Menorah and Roman sword found in Jerusalem

Two amazing finds testify to the last days of Jerusalem’s destruction in 70 AD, In a drainage channel that led from the Temple Mount to the Siloam Pool a stone with an inscribed menorah was found, together with a Roman sword. These finds vividly reminds us of the terrible destruction and how some people tried to save their lives by fleeing through the underground drainage channels.

A stone with an inscribed menorah. Photo: Sebastian Scheiner / AP

The full stories are here and here.

Both the menorah and the sword reminded me of similar finds made by Prof. Nahman Avigad in the Jewish Quarter. A sword was found in the Burnt House and a menorah was found inscribed in the wall of one of the priestly houses.

This depiction of the Lampstand (menorah) was found incised on one of the walls of a priestly family home in Jerusalem. Apart from the Lampstand, it shows the Table of Shewbread (bottom right), the Altar of Incense (top right) and the three-stepped stone (bottom left) which the priest would stand on to light the lamps of the Lampstand in the Temple.

HT: Joe Lauer

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