Description
This oil lamp is dated to the first Century AD. It is called “Herodian”, even though it started to be in used at the end of King Herod’s lifetime (end of 1st Century BC).
During the first century AD this oil lamp was one of the hallmarks of the material culture of the people of Judea under Roman rule. In fact, this lamp continued to be used even after the destruction of the Second Temple (70 AD), until the days of the Bar Kokhba Revolt (132-136 AD).
During the first century AD, which is the period of Jesus’ life, the Holy Land was densely populated, its lands cultivated, and many of its inhabitants were affluent. Jerusalem was a city built in splendor after the days of King Herod, in which there were magnificent buildings. The small material finds unearthed within these houses were also characterized by their quality, richness and splendor.
In light of this, the Herodian oil lamp stands out, as it is not decorated at all. The fact that these oil lamps were made with care and delicacy without decoration indicates that these lamps were very common among the observant Jewish population in Judea, while they were not allowed to decorate their artifacts like the Pagans- Roman did.
This lamp, different from the Roman lamps of his time made in a mold, was made in the local Eretz-Israel tradition on potters wheels. The Herodian lamps were all made in the same technique: the lamp body was made of wheels, and the hand-made nozzle was attached to it. The place of connection and the sides of the nozzle were scrubbed with a knife, so these oil lamps are also called “scrubbed oil lamps”.
This specific oil lamp was made using coarse clay with a reddish tinge. It is characterized by a prominent ridge around the lamp eye, which may be designed so in order to prevent leaking of oil out of the lamp when it was filled.
The clay oil lamp before us is a unique example of the clay vessels made and used by Jews at the end of the Second Temple period, in the time of Jesus Christ.
