8 August 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

A Unique 2000-Year-Old Oil Lamp Found in Israel

Archaeologists have discovered a rare 2,000-year-old oil lamp in David, Jerusalem.

Archaeologists have discovered a rare oil lamp, shaped like a grotesque face cut in half, at the foundation of a building erected in Jerusalem’s City of David.

It is the first discovery of its kind in Israel and such works are very rare worldwide.

Israel Antiquities Authority researchers said in a statement Wednesday that they believe the bronze lamp was used as a foundation deposit — a ritual burial of an offering — to bring good fortune to the Roman Period building’s residents. It is estimated to be from the late 1st century or the early 2nd century CE.

The discovery, made on the Pilgrimage Road in the City of David, also contained the lamp’s wick, which was remarkably well-preserved.

The Pilgrimage Road was used by Jewish pilgrims 2,000 years ago as they traveled to the Temple Mount, Judaism’s holiest spot.

“The offering of this lamp may attest to the importance of the building, which may have been linked to the protection of the Siloam Pool, the city’s primary water source,” said Dr. Yuval Baruch and Ari Levy, according to the IAA statement.

A bronze oil lamp
A bronze oil lamp discovered in the foundations of a Roman-era building in Jerusalem’s City of David Pilgrimage Road.(Koby Harati/City of David)

“This lamp is a very unique find, and as far as we know, the first of its kind discovered in Israel,” they were quoted as saying. “The uniqueness of the current object is that it is only half a face.”

The statement stated that the reason for this may have been practical — the lamp could have been fixed to a flat object or wall and used as a wall lamp — but the clarification stressed that the object’s primary use was ceremonial.

“Foundation deposits (offerings) were prevalent in the ancient world, and were intended for luck, and to ensure the continued existence of the building and its occupants, and they were usually buried under the floors of buildings or foundations,” the archaeologists said.

The lamp, according to the statement, was poured into a sculpted mold shaped like half of a bearded man’s face with a grotesque appearance. The lamp’s head is in the form of a crescent moon, and the handle is in the shape of an acanthus herb. The lamp’s decoration is reminiscent of a traditional Roman artistic motif, identical to a theatrical mask.

Researchers discovered the lamp’s wick, which was remarkably well-preserved after it was sent to an IAA laboratory. Dr. Naama Sukenik, curator of organic materials at the IAA, examined the wick, which is an extremely unusual discovery. She discovered that the wick was made of flax after microscopic analysis. Future analysis will look for some oil residue on the wick, which will help ascertain whether the lamp was used and, if so, what oil was used to light it.

“The building where the lamp was discovered was built directly on top of the Pilgrimage Road at the end of the Second Temple period,” said Ari Levy, director of the IAA excavations. “The construction of such a massive structure in the period after the destruction of Jewish Jerusalem demonstrates the importance of the area even after the destruction of the Second Temple.

Source: The Times Of Israel

Related Articles

Mysterious Mongolian Arc in Eastern Mongolia Studied for the First Time

30 December 2023

30 December 2023

Researchers have studied the 405-km wall system in eastern Mongolia known as the Mongolian Arc to learn more about its...

Hagia Sophia’s Mysterious Underground Tunnels, Vaults, Tombs to Open for Visitors

7 January 2025

7 January 2025

The Turkish Ministry of Culture is carrying out a cleaning program aimed at opening to the public the underground spaces...

Oman has recovered an exceptional collection of silver jewelry from a prehistoric grave

7 November 2022

7 November 2022

From a prehistoric grave dating to the 3rd millennium BC in Dahwa, North Batinah, a team of international archaeologists working...

Archaeologists Discovered a Fragmentary Inscription in Cypriot Syllabary Found Dating to the Cypro-Archaic Period

1 December 2024

1 December 2024

During excavations at Palaepaphos, located within the municipal boundaries of the modern village of Kouklia-Martsello on the southwest coast of...

7,000-Year-Old Animal-Figured Seals Found in Arslantepe, Anatolia’s First City-State

27 August 2024

27 August 2024

Archaeologists working at the Arslantepe Mound (Turkish: Arslantepe Höyük), a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Türkiye’s eastern Malatya province and...

1.8-million-year-old ‘human tooth’ discovered in Georgia

9 September 2022

9 September 2022

An ancient human tooth discovered by archaeologists in Georgia dates back 1.8 million years, firmly establishing the area as the...

1900 years old funerary altar of a teenage girl discovered in Rome

9 May 2022

9 May 2022

A funerary altar indicating the location of the remains of Valeria, a 13-year-old girl who died in the 2nd century...

Structures in Turkey’s Panaztepe pointing out a 5,000-year-old settlement found

8 November 2021

8 November 2021

In the 5000-year-old Panaztepe settlement located in the Menemen district of Izmir, structures thought to belong to the oldest period...

The museum’s “Oscar” Awards had Received this Year by the Troy Museum and the Odunpazarı Modern Museum

11 May 2021

11 May 2021

At the European Museum of the Year Awards (EMYA) online ceremony on May 6, Turkey’s renowned Troy Museum and Odunpazar...

3,000-Year-Old Huge Settlement Discovered in Northern France

24 March 2025

24 March 2025

Archaeologists have unearthed a remarkable settlement in the Hauts-de-France region, dating back to the Late Bronze Age and early Iron...

1500-year-old Stunning Pendant Amulet Depicting the Prophet Solomon Spearing the Devil on Horseback Found in Türkiye

15 November 2024

15 November 2024

During the excavations in the ancient city of Hadrianopolis in Eskipazar district of Karabük, Türkiye, an amulet from the 5th...

Archaeologists Reveal a Hair Style They Think Was Fashion 2000 Years Ago

19 February 2021

19 February 2021

The small 5 cm figurine found during excavations at Wimpole in Cambridgeshire surprised with its details. National Trust archaeologists and...

A bronze seal matrix of St George slaying the dragon has been discovered at the royal Château of Villers-Cotterêts in northern France

21 March 2022

21 March 2022

A previously unpublished and unknown bronze seal matrix of Saint George slaying the dragon has been discovered at the royal...

Archaeologists discover traces of ancient Jalula, the city that witnessed the famous battle of the same name 1386 years ago

23 November 2023

23 November 2023

The  Iraqi State Board of Antiquities and Heritage (SBAH) has announced the discovery of the boundaries and various structures of...

Iron Age Warriors Bend the Swords of Their Defeated Enemies

22 April 2021

22 April 2021

Archaeologists from the Westphalia-Lippe Regional Association (LWL) announced that a metal detector has discovered “one of the largest Iron Age...