12-14-2020
Israel Antiquities Authority excavations at Ramat Beit Shemesh. Photo: Assaf Peretz, Israel Antiquities Authority.
Israeli archaeologists excavating outside Jerusalem have unearthed hundreds of pottery oil lamps and one of the largest oil-lamp workshops in Israel, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced on Monday.
Two of the lamps bore the symbol of the menorah and others carried a fish – one of the symbols of early Christianity. They were made during the early Roman Period, about 1,600-1,700 years ago and were used for lighting in ancient times.
Archaeologists also found stone lamp molds for their production and terracotta figurines in the IAA excavation in Beit Shemesh, prior to the development of a new neighborhood there. Many of the workers were volunteers – young people and those awaiting their service in the IDF.
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Oil lamps found at the the Beit Nattif excavation in Beit Shemesh. (Itai Aviv/Israel Antiquities Authority)
Oil lamps found at the the Beit Nattif excavation in Beit Shemesh. (Yoli Schwartz/Israel Antiquities Authority)
Lamp fragment with menorah symbol found at the the Beit Nattif excavation in Beit Shemesh (Moran Balila, Israel Antiquities Authority)
A figurine found at the Beit Nattif excavation in Beit Shemesh being washed. (Yoli Schwartz/Israel Antiquities Authority)
Excavation director Itai Aviv with a 1600-year-old human figurine found at the the Beit Nattif excavation in Beit Shemesh (Yoli Schwartz/
Israel Antiquities Authority)
Archaeologists said Monday that they have unearthed one of the largest oil lamp workshops discovered in Israel, dating back 1,600-1,700 years, in a discovery that also solves a more modern mystery: the lost location of a cistern with ancient artifacts that was found by a researcher more than 85 years ago.