Temple menorah

The seven-branched gold lampstand kept in the Jerusalem Temple, described in the Hebrew Bible and later depicted among spoils on the Arch of Titus.

Tabernacle: The portable sanctuary built by the Israelites in the wilderness, according to the Hebrew Bible. The menorah’s first biblical setting was the sanctuary whose furnishings the Temple later inherited.
Olive oil: A fat-rich liquid pressed from olives and used for food, fuel, and ritual purposes. The lamps burned oil, which priests replenished as part of their service.
Solomon's Temple: The First Temple in Jerusalem, traditionally built under King Solomon and destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE. The menorah belonged to the Temple tradition associated with this first sanctuary.
Jewish symbolism: The use of objects, images, and practices to express ideas and identities within Jewish traditions. The menorah’s meanings extend beyond its original role as a source of light.
Mishnah Menahot: A tractate of the Mishnah discussing meal offerings and other matters of Jewish ritual law. Its passages preserve rabbinic discussion of the Temple menorah and its lamps.
Menorah: A lampstand with branches, especially the seven-branched Jewish symbol rooted in ancient sanctuary worship. The Temple lampstand is the ancient sanctuary form behind this broader symbol.
Wick: A strand of absorbent material that draws liquid fuel into a flame by capillary action. Each lamp needed a wick to carry oil into a steady flame.
Second Temple: The Jerusalem sanctuary rebuilt after the Babylonian exile and expanded by Herod the Great. The menorah shown in Roman triumphal art came from this Temple.
Hanukkah menorah: A nine-branched lampstand used during Hanukkah, with eight lights and a separate attendant light. Its familiar form is distinct from the Temple’s seven-branched lampstand.
War of the Jews: Flavius Josephus’s account of the Jewish revolt against Rome and the destruction of Jerusalem. Josephus describes the menorah among the spoils taken after the Temple fell.

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