Israeli archaeologists have discovered a 1,500-year-old seal with the Temple Menorah during excavations near the city of Akko.

According to the Israel Antiquities Authority, a ceramic stamp bearing an image of the seven-branched Temple Menorah and dating back to 6th century CE was unearthed in excavations currently conducting at Horbat Uza east of the city of Akko.

“A number of stamps bearing an image of a menorah are known from different collections. The Temple Menorah, being a Jewish symbol par excellence, indicates the stamps belonged to Jews, unlike Christian bread stamps with the cross pattern which were much more common in the Byzantine period”, explained Gilad Jaffe and Dr. Danny Syon, the directors of the excavation from the Israel Antiquities Authority.

“This is the first time such a stamp is discovered in a controlled archaeological excavation, thus making it possible to determine its provenance and date of manufacture. The stamp is important because it proves that a Jewish community existed in the settlement of Uza in the Christian-Byzantine period. The presence of a Jewish settlement so close to Akko – a region that was definitely Christian at this time – constitutes an innovation in archaeological research”, said Dr. Syon.

Archaeologists suggest that this tiny stamp was used to identify baked products. It probably belonged to a bakery that supplied kosher bread to the Jews of Akko in the Byzantine period.

The stamp is engraved with a seven-branched menorah atop a narrow base, and the top of the branches forms a horizontal line. A number of Greek letters are engraved around a circle and dot on the end of the handle.

“This is probably the name Launtius. This name was common among Jews of the period and also appears on another Jewish bread stamp of unknown provenance,” suggested Dr. Leah Di Segni of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

“This is probably the name of the baker from Horbat Uza,” added Gilad Jaffe and Dr. Danny Syon.

Horbat Uza is a small rural settlement where clues were previously found that allude to it being a Jewish settlement: a clay coffin, a Shabbat lamp and jars with menorah patterns painted on them were discovered there.

“A potter engraved the menorah image in the surface of the stamp prior to firing it in a kiln, whereas the owner’s name was engraved in the stamp’s handle after firing. Hence we can assume that a series of stamps bearing the menorah symbol were produced for Jewish bakers, and each of these bakers carved his name on the handle, which also served as a stamp. In this way the dough could be stamped twice before baking: once with the menorah – the general symbol of the Jewish identity of Jewish bakeries, and the private name of the baker in each of these bakeries, which also guaranteed the bakery’s kashrut,” concluded Dr. David Amit of the Israel Antiquities Authority.