Israeli archaeologists have made what they say is a ‘breathtaking, once-in-a-lifetime discovery.’ They have unearthed gold and silver jewelry, a gold medallion depicting the menorah and 36 Byzantine gold coins near the Temple Mount’s southern wall in Jerusalem.

“We have been making significant finds from the First Temple Period in this area, a much earlier time in Jerusalem’s history, so discovering a golden medallion with seven-branched menorah from the 7th century CE at the foot of the Temple Mount was a complete surprise,” said Dr Eilat Mazar from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Dr Mazar and her colleagues have found gold and silver artifacts in a ruined Byzantine building (early 7th century CE) about 50 m from the Temple Mount’s southern wall during excavations of the Ophel archaeological project.

The artifacts “were abandoned in the context of the Persian conquest of Jerusalem in 614 CE. After the Persians conquered Jerusalem, many Jews returned to the city and formed the majority of its population, hoping for political and religious freedom. But as Persian power waned, instead of forming an alliance with the Jews, the Persians sought the support of Christians and ultimately allowed them to expel the Jews from Jerusalem,” Dr Mazar explained.

According to the team, one bundle of treasure was carefully hidden underground, while the second was apparently abandoned in haste and scattered across the floor.

Perhaps the most interesting find among the artifacts is a 4-inch (10 cm) gold medallion depicting the Temple candelabrum (menorah), a ram’s horn (shofar) and a Torah scroll.

“The menorah medallion is most likely an ornament for a Torah scroll,” Dr Mazar and her colleagues explained.

“It was buried in a small depression in the floor, along with a smaller gold medallion, two pendants, a gold coil and a silver clasp, all of which are believed to be Torah scroll ornamentations.”

“It would appear that the most likely explanation is that the Ophel cache was earmarked as a contribution toward the building of a new synagogue, at a location that is near the Temple Mount,” Dr Mazar said.

“What is certain is that their mission, whatever it was, was unsuccessful. The treasure was abandoned, and its owners could never return to collect it.”

The team has also found a pair of large gold earrings, a gold-plated silver hexagonal prism and a silver ingot.

“The Ophel cache is only the third collection of gold coins found in archaeological excavations in Jerusalem,” said Lior Sandberg, a numismatics specialist at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Institute of Archaeology.

“The thirty-six gold coins can be dated to the reigns of different Byzantine emperors, ranging from the middle of the 4th century to the early 7th century CE.”