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Roman and Byzantine periods
  • Golden medallion featuring a Menorah. Discovered by Eilat Mazar. Photo: Dudu Vaknin, Courtesy of the City of David Archive
    Golden medallion featuring a Menorah. Discovered by Eilat Mazar. Photo: Dudu Vaknin, Courtesy of the City of David Archive
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Roman and Byzantine periods

The Persian Conquest

In 614 CE Byzantine Jerusalem was conquered briefly by the Sassanid Persians. The new rulers allowed the Jews to return to the city, but shortly thereafter they were exiled once again.

In the picture: A magnificent gold medallion, discovered south of the Temple Mount by Dr. Eilat Mazar in the early 2000s. It was apparently buried by a Jewish family when they were expelled from the city by the Persians, and hoped they would someday return to their home. The medallion depicts a seven-branched candelabrum (Menorah) flanked by a shofar and perhaps a Torah scroll (on the right). The medallion may have been a decoration for a Torah scroll.