Byzantine prayer box excavated in Jerusalem

DISCOVERY:

Byzantine Prayer Box Found in Jerusalem Dig
Miniature box adorned with cross dates from 6-7 century CE. Contained two icons surrounded by gold leaf.

By Gil Ronen (Arutz Sheva)
First Publish: 10/27/2011, 9:07 PM

Archaeologists in Jerusalem discovered a miniature Christian prayer box that dates back to the sixth or seventh century CE.

The box was found at the "Givati parking lot" dig in Ir David. Dig supervisors noted that illustrated Byzantine holy objects are very rarely found in the Holy Land.

The box contained two icon paintings surrounded by gold leaf and was probably a personal prayer object. It is 2.2 cm. (about 0.9 inch) long by 1.6 cm. wide and is made from the bone of a large animal – cattle, a camel or a horse.

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