A rare 1,700-year-old lamp featuring Jewish Temple symbols has been uncovered in Jerusalem, as announced by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) on Thursday.
According to All Israel News, Excavation Director Michael Chernin emphasized the significance of the ancient artifact, which he called the Mount of Olives lamp.
Chernin explained, “After the Roman Emperor Hadrian suppressed the Bar Kockba rebellion in 135 C.E., Jews were expelled from the city. The Mount of Olives lamp is one of the few material traces of a Jewish presence around Jerusalem in the third to fifth centuries C.E.” He also noted that “the exquisite artistic workmanship of the lamp, which was found complete, makes it outstanding and extremely rare.”
Chernin described the discovery as “particularly surprising,” acknowledging that there is “very little evidence of the existence of a Jewish settlement in and around Jerusalem from this period.”
Benjamin Storchan, an IAA research archaeologist, identified the ancient lamp as being of “the 'Beit Nattif' type, named after a production workshop identified in the 1930s near Bet Shemesh,” a town located west of Jerusalem. Storchan explained that “oil lamps with menorah decorations are exceedingly rare, and only a few similar Beit Nattif-type lamps can be found in the National Treasures archive.”
He remarked that the choice of symbols on the lamp is intentional, stating, “This is a fascinating testimony connecting everyday objects and faiths among ancient Jerusalem’s inhabitants. It seems that the lamp belonged to a Jew, who purchased it because of its religious affiliation and memorial to the Temple. It is evident that the lamp maker dedicated a great deal of time and effort to its decoration.”
“The molds were made in two parts (upper and lower). To create the lamp, the potter pressed the clay into the molds and then pressed them together. Finally, the vessel was fired, and it could be used. This method of producing lamps in molds allowed for refined designs, as well as the addition of delicate and intricate decorations,” he elaborated.
Israeli Heritage Minister Rabbi Amichai Eliyahu welcomed the discovery, connecting it to the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. “This unique oil lamp, which in an exciting manner bears the symbols of the Temple, connects the lights of the past with the Hanukkah holiday of today and expresses the deep and long-standing connection of the nation of Israel to its heritage and to the Temple’s memory,” Eliyahu stated.
In addition to this discovery, Israeli archaeologists recently found an ancient Jewish oil lamp dating back to the fourth to sixth centuries at Zippori National Park in Israel’s northern Galilee region, an area associated with the life of Jesus and early Christianity.
