Thursday, May 06, 2021

More on the half-face lamp

DEDICATORY METALWORK: 2,000-year-old oil lamp shaped like a grotesque face found in City of David. Archaeologists say the bronze item, unusual because it is only half of a lamp, was put in foundation of Roman-era building on Jerusalem’s famed Pilgrimage Road for good fortune (Michael Bachner, Times of Israel). This article has some new details not found in yesterday's article, including a date for the object (late first to early second century CE) and more information on its iconography. There are also new photos and a video.

The Daily Mail also has good coverage and more photos: That's one ugly genie! 2000-year-old oil lamp 'shaped like a grotesque face' and used as a ritual offering is discovered buried in the foundations of a building on Jerusalem's Pilgrimage Road (Stacy Liberatore).

Background here.

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