Evidence for Byzantine-era Christian souvenir production at Hyrcania

ANCIENT ARTIFACT: Forget keychains, Byzantine pilgrims took home ‘souvenir’ flasks, newly found mold shows.Judean Desert finds dated 1,400 years ago bear witness to ‘flourishing Christian pilgrimage industry’ as travelers from around Roman Empire sought mementos of visits to Jesus-linked sites (Rossella Tercatin, Times of Israel).

In a rare find, Israeli archaeologists recently uncovered the tools used some 1,400 years ago to make mementos for the travelers who made their way to the Land of Israel to visit the key sites associated with the life of Jesus and other saints as Christianity became firmly established as the Roman Empire’s dominant religion.

A Byzantine mold to craft small flasks featuring an elaborate cross and inscribed with the Greek words “Lord’s blessing from the holy places,” was among several notable artifacts recently unearthed at the Hyrcania archaeological site in the Judean Desert in the West Bank, researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem told The Times of Israel on Thursday. The inscription was deciphered by Dr. Avner Ecker.

For more on the many discoveries at the Hyrcania excavation, see here and links.

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