Byzantine-era menorah amulet excavated near Temple Mount

FOR HANUKKAH: Menorah Amulet From Byzantine Time Found in Ancient Jerusalem. The crudely fashioned, possibly homemade pendant was unearthed by the Temple Mount in a Byzantine building from 1,300 years ago, a time Jews were banned from the city (Ruth Schuster, Haaretz).

Both sides of the pendant depict a flaming seven-branched menorah in a circular frame. One side was preserved well, while the other became patinated. Analysis back at the IAA labs by artifact conservator Ilya Reznitsky found that the pendant was made of 99 percent lead. ...

Baruch suspects the owner, a Jew visiting Jerusalem, may have worn this crude, plain object beneath his or her clothing as a charm to protect them from evil, not as an ornament; not as a jewel.

Cross-file under "Apotropaic Artifact?"

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