The remains of an oil lamp depicting the Jewish lampstand used to symbolize the "eternal light," the menorah, estimated to date back 2,000 years, was discovered at an archaeological excavation site in Israel's Negev Desert, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced on Thursday.
"This is probably one of the earliest artistic depictions of a nine-branched menorah yet discovered," the IAA archaeologist Dr. Daniel Varga said.
The IAA said it was the first evidence discovered of a 2,000-year-old Jewish settlement, as the site appears to contain underground hidden passageways used by Jewish rebels around the first century C.E., leading up to the Bar-Kokhba Revolt in 135 C.E.
"For the first time, the remains of a Jewish settlement of the Second Temple period have been discovered in Beersheba," the Government Press Office said.
The shard of the rare oil lamp depicts a menorah with nine branches, since seven-branched menorahs could only be found inside the ancient temple in Jerusalem, of which only the Western Wall remains.
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