May 5, 2021
“The uniqueness of the current object is that it is only half a face,” said Dr. Baruch, with researchers debating as to whether it actually served as a lamp or was used in some sort of ceremonial ritual.
By Yakir Benzion, United With Israel
A rare bronze oil lamp, shaped like a grotesque face that was cut in half, was uncovered in excavations in Jerusalem’s City of David National Park, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced Wednesday.
Archaeologists Ari Levy and Dr. Yuval Baruch believe that the lamp, discovered in the foundations of a building resting on Pilgrimage Road, was put there intentionally in order to bring good fortune to the building’s residents.
A bronze oil lamp, dating from the Roman Period, discovered during excavations at the City of David, a Jewish heritage site, according to Israel’s Antiquities Authority, is displayed in East Jerusalem May 5, 2021. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun.
JNS.org – A rare bronze oil lamp, shaped like a grotesque face cut in half, was recently discovered during excavations in Jerusalem’s City of David National Park, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced on Wednesday.
The lamp described by IAA archaeologists Ari Levy and Yuval Baruch as a “very unique find” was unearthed in the foundations of a building dating to the Roman period, after the destruction of Jerusalem and the Second Temple in 70 CE.