This discovery marks a significant moment in understanding how ancient travelers sought physical mementos of their sacred journeys, much like modern tourists collect souvenirs today, reports the Times of Israel. The mold was uncovered during the third season of excavations at Hyrcania, a remote desert fortress monastery that has yielded numerous treasures revealing the site's wealthy Byzantine monastic past.
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The Byzantine Pilgrimage Flask Industry
The limestone mold discovered at Hyrcania was designed to produce vessels known as "ampullae," small devotional flasks that pilgrims could fill with holy oil or water from sacred sites associated with Jesus Christ and early Christian saints. Michal Haber and Dr. Oren Gutfeld, co-directors of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem excavations, explained that these vessels were produced "at the height of the Byzantine period in the Land of Israel, part of the flourishing Christian pilgrimage industry."
The inscription deciphered by Dr. Avner Ecker confirms the flasks' sacred purpose, promising divine blessing from the holy places. Similar ampullae from this period have been found across the Christian world, with the most famous collection housed at Monza Cathedral in Northern Italy. These Italian examples, donated by 7th-century Lombard King Agilulf and Queen Theodolinda, demonstrate how far pilgrims traveled to visit the Holy Land and how precious these souvenirs remained.
The remote fortress of Hyrcania in the Judean Desert where the mold was discovered. (CC BY-SA 3.0)
According to the archaeologists, the presence of the mold suggests that the monastery at Hyrcania likely manufactured these vessels on-site, indicating it served as a stop on pilgrimage routes. The site's strategic location between Jerusalem and Jericho, near other pilgrimage destinations like the Mount of the Scapegoat and Mount of Temptation, would have made it an ideal waystation for travelers seeking spiritual renewal.
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From Hasmonean Fortress to Byzantine Monastery
Hyrcania's history stretches back over two millennia. The fortress was originally constructed by Hasmonean rulers between the late 2nd and early 1st centuries BC as part of a defensive network protecting their kingdom's eastern border. After Roman destruction, Herod the Great rebuilt the site, though it was abandoned shortly after his death at the end of the 1st century BC.
The site's Christian chapter began in 492 AD when Holy Sabas, a pioneering figure in Judean Desert monasticism, ascended what he described as a "terrifying mountain" to establish a monastery as a dependency of the nearby Great Laura of Saint Sabas. This monastery continued operating even after the Islamic conquest in 636 AD, finally falling into disuse in the late 8th or early 9th century.
Treasures of a Wealthy Monastery
The excavations have revealed that Hyrcania was no ordinary monastic outpost. Alongside the flask mold, archaeologists discovered two gold solidi coins featuring Byzantine Emperor Heraclius, minted in Constantinople between 613 and 641 AD. These pure gold coins, weighing 4.5 grams each, represent substantial wealth. A gold ring inlaid with a yellow stone, possibly citrine, was also found. "For sure, the size of the ring would not fit a male monk," Haber noted, suggesting it may have belonged to a female pilgrim or possibly one of the rare female monastics known to have lived in the region.
Byzantine gold coins featuring Emperor Heraclius found at the site. (Tal Rogovski/Hebrew University of Jerusalem via Times of Israel)
Other finds include the lid of a stone reliquary that likely contained bones or remains of a saint, fragments of Byzantine Greek inscriptions, and a rare red-painted inscription paraphrasing Psalm 86 in New Testament Greek. Colorful mosaics and well-preserved architectural remains further attest to the monastery's prosperity and importance.
The excavations represent a joint effort by the Hebrew University and the Civil Administration's Archaeology Unit, combining salvage archaeology with academic research. "For nearly a century, the site has suffered from heavy looting and vandalism," Haber explained, emphasizing that the project aims to stay ahead of antiquities thieves while unlocking the site's research potential.
The discovery of the ampullae mold provides rare physical evidence of how Byzantine-era entrepreneurship intersected with religious devotion, creating an industry that allowed pilgrims to carry home tangible blessings from their sacred journeys. As excavations continue, archaeologists hope to uncover more artifacts that will illuminate both the monastery's spiritual life and its role in the broader pilgrimage economy that connected the Holy Land with Christian communities across Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East.
Top image: A 1400-year-old limestone mold to craft flasks decorated with a cross and bearing the inscription ‘Lord’s blessing from the holy places’ was found at the site of Hyrcania in the Judean Desert in the West Bank. Source: Michal Haber/Institute of Archaeology of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem via Times of Israel
By Gary Manners
References
Ecker, A., Gutfeld, O., and Haber, M. 2025. Byzantine Pilgrimage Artifacts from Hyrcania Monastery. Available at: https://www.timesofisrael.com/forget-keychains-byzantine-pilgrims-took-home-souvenir-flasks-newly-found-mold-shows/
Rosenthal-Heginbottom, R. Pilgrim Mementoes from the Holy Land: Production, Iconography and Context. Available at: https://actual-art.org/files/sb/07/Rosenthal-Heginbottom.pdf
