by Gil Ronen (Arutz Sheva News)

Just two weeks after a Temple era seal was displayed to the public,
archeologists continue to dig up breathtaking proofs of the ancient and
never-severed connection between Jews and the Land of Israel.  This
time, the find is a 1,500 year old tiny stamp discovered near the city
of Akko, bearing the image of the seven-branched Temple Menorah.

The stamp was used to identify baked products and probably belonged to a
bakery that supplied kosher bread to the Jews of Akko in the Byzantine
period.

The ceramic stamp dates from the Byzantine period (6th century CE) and
was uncovered in excavations the Israel Antiquities Authority is
currently conducting at Horbat Uza east of Akko, prior to the
construction of the Akko-Karmiel railroad track by the Israel National
Roads Company.

This find belongs to a group of stamps referred to as "bread stamps"
because they were usually used to stamp baked goods.

According to Gilad Jaffe and Dr. Danny Syon, the directors of the
excavation on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, "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."

There were no Muslims in the region at the time -- because the Quran had
not yet been written.

According to Syon, "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."

"Due to the geographical proximity of Horbat Uza to Akko, we can
speculate that the settlement supplied kosher baked goods to the Jews of
Akko in the Byzantine period," the excavators added.

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.  
Dr. Leah Di Segni, of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem suggested they
probably spell out the name Launtius, which was common among Jews of the
period and also appears on another Jewish bread stamp of unknown
provenance.   According to Dr. Syon and Gilad Jaffe, "This is probably
the name of the baker from Horbat Uza."

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

Dr. David Amit of the Israel Antiquities Authority, who has made a study
of bread stamps, added, "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 again with the private name of the baker in each of these
bakeries, which also guaranteed the bakery's kashrut."

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