Four Samaritan Menorahs from the village of Hajjeh, Samaria

Abstract

This paper describes the authors’ discovery of four ancient menorahs inscribed on stone in the village of Hajjeh, Samaria. These four menorahs join another previously menorah discovered in Hajjeh, which has been published by Yuval Peleg in the past, bringing the total number of menorahs we know about in this village to five. This paper combines analyses of the known history of Hajjeh with the rich finds from the ancient inscribed menorahs. These analyses, together with information from historical sources on the village and its surroundings during the Byzantine and early Islamic periods, expand our knowledge about the locality and the use of ancient menorahs inscribed on stone during the Roman and Byzantine periods.