A 1,500 year-old stone capital decorated with a menorah, that was discovered just outside of Jerusalem, is on display ahead of Independence Day on the Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein National Campus for the Archaeology of Israel in Jerusalem, to note Independence Day, the Israel Antiquities Authority has announced.

The limestone capital, which is decorated with an eight-branched menorah, was unearthed five years ago during the construction of a new bridge at the entrance to Jerusalem in the bedroom community of Motza, the state-run archaeological body said. Israeli researchers believe the capital stood atop a pillar in a Roman-period building or street.

“The stone capital from the Jerusalem hills, decorated with the eight-branched menorah design, is unique, and a rare kind of discovery,” said Yuval Baruch, deputy director of archaeology at the IAA. He noted that a few decades after the Second Temple’s destruction, the menorah became the distinct symbol of the Jewish people, both in the diaspora and in the Land of Israel.

However, historical texts supported by archaeological research indicate that the Jewish settlement in Judea—and especially in the Jerusalem hills, suffered greatly as a result of the failed Bar Kokhba revolt in the 2nd century C.E., to the point of being considered eliminated.

“Based on this reality, it is reasonable to surmise that this capital [stone] was brought from a destroyed site elsewhere merely to serve as useful building material here,” said Baruch.

The capital as found in the field. Photo courtesy of Shai Halevi, Israel Antiquities Authority.

According to the Israeli Minister of Heritage, MK Rabbi Amichai Eliyahu:

“The discovery of the stone capital adorned with a menorah provides tangible evidence of the profound and undeniable connection between the Jewish people, Jerusalem, and the Land of Israel throughout thousands of years. This rare archaeological find, unparalleled anywhere in the world, serves as a bridge between our glorious past and the renewal of our independence in the State of Israel.”

“There is no more appropriate time to reveal this find to the public than in these very days of celebrating our identity as a nation,” said IAA Director Eli Escusido. “The connection to roots and to values is the source of our strength.”