A 2,000-year-old oil lamp in the shape of a hideous face cut in half was found in the City of David. And according to archaeologists, the bronze lamp was placed in the foundation of a Roman-era building on Pilgrimage Road for good luck. That specific road would have been traveled on by Jewish pilgrims who were visiting the Temple Mount. The very rare lamp would have been placed there not long after the Second Temple was destroyed nearly 2,000 years ago.
According to the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), they think that the lamp was put in the foundation as part of a ritual burial offering for good fortune to those inhabiting the building. In a statement from the IAA, Dr. Yuval Baruch and Ari Levy went into further details, “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,” adding, “The uniqueness of the current object is that it is only half a face.”
Rare ancient bronze oil lamp for luck unearthed in Jerusalem
Archaeologists in Jerusalem discover rare 1,900-year-old bronze oil lamp buried in the foundations of an ancient building.
May 6, 2021, 12:30 pm
The oil lamp was discovered in the foundations of a building and thought to have been buried to bring good fortune to inhabitants. Photo by Koby Harati, City of David
A rare bronze oil lamp shaped like a grotesque face was recently discovered in excavations conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), in the City of David National Park.
Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologists, Ari Levy and Dr. Yuval Baruchbelieve the lamp, discovered in the foundations of a building on the pilgrimage road, was intentionally buried in order to bring good luck to the building’s residents.
A ‘Face-Shaped’ Roman-Era Bronze Oil Lamp Was Just Discovered in Jerusalem Jesse Holth for ARTnews
Archaeologists have discovered a rare bronze oil lamp in the shape of a half-face, dating to the Roman Period between 70 and 135 C.E., during excavations in the City of David National Park in Jerusalem. The lamp was uncovered in the foundations of a building along the pilgrimage road. “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,” Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologists Ari Levy and Dr. Yuval Baruch said in a statement on Wednesday.
Photo by Dafna Gazit
Half of the rare lamp. Until now, only a few of these lamps have been discovered throughout the world.
A rare oil lamp, believed by archeologists to have been intended by ancients to bring good fortune, was uncovered in a recent excavation in Jerusalem at the City of David National Park.
The lamp was discovered at the foundations of a building which once stood on the famed pilgrimage road of ancient Jerusalem. Ari Levy and Yuval Baruch, archeologists with the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), the group that made the discovery, said in a press release that they believe the rare bronze lamp had been intentionally deposited in that location to bring luck to the building’s residents. The lamp may also have been related to protecting the Siloam Pool, the city’s main water source.
2,000-Year-Old Oil Lamp Found in Jerusalem Published May 6th, 2021 - 06:14 GMT
oil lamp shaped like grotesque face (Twitter)
Highlights
Liquid bronze was poured into a mold shaped like half of a face of a bearded man when it was first constructed, experts believe, Times of Israel reports.
Jewish pilgrims traveled to the Temple Mount 2,000 years ago where they lit a ritual burial offering to pray for good fortune, and this specific lamp has been uncovered in the City of David.
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The rare oil lamp, shaped like a grotesque face, was formed from bronze and still includes the original wick made of flax.