Fragment of a Roman oil lamp (replica)

No symbol has been in existence for as long as and as continuously as the menorah, the seven-branched candelabra. The menorah has been firmly established as a symbol of Judaism since the fourth century at the latest. It is used within both a religious and an everyday context. The lamp found in Trier depicts the menora with a three-footed base and angled arms surrounded by palm leaves. The discovery of this oil lamp together with a total of four lead seals and an imperial decree dating back to the period between 368 and 373 CE can be viewed as evidence that a Jewish community already existed in Trier in the fourth and fifth centuries.