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Archaeologists in Israel have unearthed fragments of a glass bracelet stamped with seven-branched menorahs.

The bracelet remains were found on the second night of Hanukkah in Mount Carmel National Park - once a large settlement during the late Roman or early Byzantine period.

The 1,600-year-old glass piece was hidden in an uncovered box, containing a number of other glass fragments that had been discarded as waste.

Archaeologists have unearthed fragments of a glass bracelet stamped with seven-branched menorahs

'After cleaning, we were excited to discover that the bracelet, which is made of turquoise coloured glass, is decorated with symbols of the seven-branched menorah,' said Limor Talmi, an excavation directors for the Israel Antiquities Authority.

'[This is] the same menorah which according to tradition was kept alight in the temple for eight days by means of a single cruse of oil.'

The fragment shows two menorahs with seven branches each. One of the menorahs has a single flame depicted above each branch.

Also found in the same refuse pile was the base of a large glass bowl and a lumps of debris from a glass kiln.

The bracelet remains (pictured) were found on the second night of Hanukkah in Mount Carmel National Park - once a large settlement during the late Roman or early Byzantine period

The 1,600-year-old glass piece was hidden in an uncovered box, containing a number of other glass fragments that had been discarded as waste

Archaeologist Limor Talmi of the Israel Antiquities Authority holds the base of a large glass bowl that was found in the same refuse pile as the fragment of glass bracelet

THE BRONZE AGE BEADS THAT ARE WORTH THEIR WEIGHT IN GOLD

These 4,000-year-old Bronze Age beads, and worth their weight in gold

If you dug these up in your garden, you probably wouldn't think twice about throwing them away. 

But the unassuming objects are 4,000-year-old Bronze Age beads, and worth their weight in gold.

Unearthed from a prehistoric burial chest on Dartmoor last year, they were heralded as one of the most significant historical finds in more than a century.

Jane Marchand, senior archaeologist from Dartmoor National Park, described the haul as one of the most important discoveries since the 19th century.

She said: 'The amber beads probably came from the Baltic – and meant they were long-distance trading 4,000 years ago.

'These artefacts show Dartmoor wasn't the isolated, hard-to-reach place we thought it was. This mystery is unfolding.

'This has been fascinating to work on, but it's just one piece in a puzzle. The story is only part-told.'

Glass bracelets and pendants from these periods decorated with symbols of a menorah are well known in Israel, Lebanon and Syria. 

But the researchers explained that archaeologists usually found this kind of jewellery as part of funerary offerings.

'It is unusual to find such objects in settlement strata, and even rarer to discover them in an ancient refuse pit,' said Yael Gorin-Rosen, one of the Antiquities Authority researchers.

She added that the findings may provide proof that Jewish people lived in the ancient settlement.

Another theory is that the bracelet came from a workshop in the area and had been intended for other markets.

'Glass jewelry was used extensively in the late Roman period, and we can reasonably assume that those items that were specially decorated were more expensive than the plain, unornamented ones,' the researchers said. 

'The refuse that was discovered in the pit included numerous glass vessels and fragments of glass window panes, as well as a selection of jewelry, indicative of a population that lived a life of comfort and affluence.' 

The fragment shows two menorahs with seven branches each. One of the menorahs has a single flame depicted above each branch

This lump from a glass kiln was one of many pieces of glass in stages of production found in the refuse pit

The delicate glass fragments were found in Mount Carmel National Park near Israel's Mediterranean shore