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- A ceramic oil lamp, which was used for lighting 1,700 years ago, was found during an archaeological dig near the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem.
- Its intricate decorations feature symbols important to Jewish faith and culture, including the menorah, incense shovel, and lulav.
- This discovery provides rare evidence of Jewish presence in Jerusalem post-Bar Kochba revolt, shedding light on the community's cultural and religious life during Roman occupation.
In an archaeological dig near the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, a rare ceramic oil lamp from the Late Roman period has been discovered. This find, dating back approximately 1,700 years, features detailed depictions of symbols significant to Jewish culture, including the Temple menorah, an incense shovel, and a lulav. Such artifacts provide essential insights into the cultural and religious practices of the Jewish community in Jerusalem following the Bar Kochba revolt when Jews were expelled from the city under Roman occupation. The excavation director, Michael Chernin, emphasized the lamp's exquisite craftsmanship and how it represents an intricate connection between everyday objects and faith among ancient Jerusalem's inhabitants. This lamp is one of the very few material traces revealing Jewish presence around Jerusalem during the 3rd to 5th centuries CE. Benjamin Storchan, a research archaeologist at the Israel Antiquities Authority, noted that the lamp is of the