Byzantine Oil Lamp

$190.00

The Byzantine period of flourishing and wealth in the Holy Land.

  • 7th Early Christian oil lamp.
  • Menorah on the nozzle.
  • Length: 9 cm / 3.6″ inch.
  • Good condition.
  • Discovered in Jerusalem, Israel.
  • Comes with display stand.
  • Includes a certificate of authenticity.

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Description

Byzantine oil lamp

The Byzantine period (4th-7th centuries AD) was a period of flourishing and wealth in the Holy Land. During this time Christianity became the dominant religion of the Roman Empire, and many churches were established throughout the country, preserving the memory of Christ. In fact, during this period the Land of Israel became the “Holy Land”, the center of the Christian faith, at the center of which is the Holy City – Jerusalem.

This oil lamp, which dates from the fifth-sixth centuries AD, is one of the simplest and most common clay lamps of the Byzantine period in the Land of Israel. It is decorated with a Menorah pattern on the nozzle (hence also known as a “Menorah lamp”), and with radial lines around the lamp eye.

It is possible to give meaning from the realm of Christian faith to the use of the  Menorah decoration on the lamp, and at the very least it is clear that the motif of light was important in the Christian in the Byzantine period.

Through the use of this lamp, not only the actual physical light was disseminated, but also the spiritual light from the sharing of the Christian faith which became increasingly established in the Holy Land during the Byzantine period.