COIN WITH OLDEST DEPICTION OF TEMPLE MENORAH

An ancient coin bearing the oldest-known depiction of the Temple menorah will go on display to the public for the first time on Monday with the opening of the recently renovated Davidson Center in Jerusalem's Old City.

The coin dates to around 40 BCE, during the Roman times and the reign of the last Hasmonean king. This is the oldest known artistic depiction of the menorah, created 107 years before the destruction of the Second Temple, says Dr. Yuval Baruch, head of archaeology and administration at the Israel Antiquities Authority, who was one of the excavators of the site and led the archaeological curation of the Davidson Center. The coin was donated to Israel sometime during the 1940s, during the British Mandate period, and it's unclear where or when it was found.

It's part of an exhibit of rare artifacts that contain some of the earliest known references and research about the origin of the Temple menorah, a seven-branched candelabra that is also used as the symbol of the modern State of Israel. Next to the coin is the Magdela Stone , which was discovered in the town of Migdal in 2009 and was likely a Torah reading table from a first-century synagogue. The intricately carved stone shows multiple menorahs as well as a possible depiction of the Jerusalem Temple.

Also being displayed to the public for the first time is a piece of plaster from Jason's Tomb, a carved-rock tomb from the Second Temple period nestled into the leafy Rehavia neighborhood in Jerusalem. There are five menorahs carved into the plaster, which was discovered in the 1950s during the excavation of the tomb prior to building an apartment building.

The three pieces were chosen as the centerpiece of the newly opened Davidson Center, which will open to the public on Monday after a three-year closure due to renovations. The multi-million dollar overhaul doubled the size of the museum and visitor's center, which is located in the Jerusalem Archaeological Park in the Old City.

To read the complete article, see:
Coin with oldest depiction of Temple menorah displayed for first time (https://www.timesofisrael.com/coin-with-oldest-depiction-of-temple-menorah-displayed-for-first-time/)

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