The Israel Antiquities Authority reports about an engraving of a menorah in a newly discovered Second-Temple era synagogue:
According to the excavation director, Dina Avshalom-Gorni of the Israel Antiquities Authority, “We are dealing with an exciting and unique find. This is the first time that a menorah decoration has been discovered from the days when the SecondTemple was still standing. This is the first menorah to be discovered in a Jewish context and that dates to the Second Temple period/beginning of the Early Roman period. We can assume that the engraving that appears on the stone, which the Israel Antiquities Authority uncovered, was done by an artist who saw the seven-branched menorah with his own eyes in the Temple in Jerusalem. The synagogue that was uncovered joins just six other synagogues in the world that are known to date to the SecondTemple period”.
This is quite interesting – providing one indication of what the Temple menorah looked like. Another important late-first-century source can be seen below, as explained by yours truly, wearing a silly hat.
And below is a re-creation of the Temple’s menorah in Jerusalem, set ominously against the background of the Temple Mount, where the Dome of the Rock is presently situated:
h/t: Jim West
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