posted on Oct, 21 2004 @ 07:33 AM
Hey DryBankRuta:
If you look closely, you'll see the socalled Menorah in the 5th century mosaic in your link DOES NOT MATCH the large golden menorah which is depicted
on the Arch of TITUS in Rome (a bas relief--alas now without its original paint !--- showing the looting of the 2nd Herodian Temple (you know, the one
that R. Yeshoshua bar Yosef ("Jeeezuzzzz") and his ilk claimed to have said would not 'have one stone standing upon another left'.....this despite
the large chunk of the Western Retaining "Wailing" Wall which is, well...still standing stone on top of stone to this day)
The 2nd Temple Golden Menorah in the TITUS arch seems to show an Octangular Base---and was carved fairly soon after the events it relates. Notice the
"Trumpets" and other details (now unhappily marred by erosion and, well...lack of its original bright colours of paint which would have added depth
and detail).
One wonders if there was much of the original 2nd Herodian Temple that survives today anywhere---let alone in the Vatican Vaults.....and one can
imagine warehouses full of "artifacts" there which actually derive from other, later shrines and synagogues all claiming to be part of the 2nd
Temple "treasure".
The smelting down of temple treaures into other golden objects or coins was a very common occurence for thousands of years....
Since so many Jewish Temple Cult Objects seem to have been made of or contained large amounts of gold and silver (especially reading over the parts
list in the Copper Scroll from Cave 3 in Qumran) many of these relics would most likely have gone the way of most such "vile cult objects" in the
past---i.e. they would probably have been quickly smelted down into coins after their confiscation by the Roman (Empire) government who attached no
real value to "those vile superstitions of the Judaeans..."
In other words, it would not surprise me if the Romans melted down as many objects they confiscated into coins, especially during the uncertain
political times of the Jewish War in AD 66-72 which cost Rome a great deal of money and men.
By the way, the price of Gold on the world market in Syria in AD 71 fell by 62%, i.e. immediately after the 1st Jewish War, which suggests that the
so-called Golden Temple Treasures were indeed smelted onto the world market....