LG Early Christian Oil Lamp Roman Judea Phoenicia 100AD $139.99

Genuine, Handsome, Intricately Patterned, Intact, LARGE Ancient Roman/Phoenician/Early Christian Holyland (Judaea) Terra Cotta Oil Lamp about 100 A.D.

CLASSIFICATION: Roman/Phoenician/Judaean Terra Cotta Oil Lamp with Palm Frond Design.

ATTRIBUTION: Eastern Roman Empire (Ancient Accho, Phoenicia), First Century A.D.

SIZE/MEASUREMENTS:

Length: 110 millimeters (almost 4 1/2 inches).

Width: 63 millimeters (2 1/2 inches).

Height: 36 millimeters (1 1/2 inches).

CONDITION: Excellent. Good integrity, no cracks, breakage or repairs. Some very hard and stubborn alkaline soil deposits - removable. Soot stains and chipping around nozzle (wick hole) consistent with use in ancient Judaea. Slight porosity (fuzziness) caused by prolonged burial in alkaline soil. Some surface crazing (but not cracked through).

DETAIL: This is a very nicely preserved terracotta oil lamp dated to the first century A.D. Its origin is the area referred to as "The Holy Land", during Roman occupation, the province of Judaea or Phoenice. The top surface of the oil lamp portrays a very ornate palm branch design around the entire perimeter of the vessel. The palm leaves are accentuated with what appear to be some grapes - a very common theme in Judaean coinage - although less commonly seen on earthenware. The little round grapes could be laurel berries - but that them is much more Roman in character than Juaean (although this gorgeous artifact was produced in what was then the Roman Provincial Judaea). There are also raised accent ridges between the fill hole and the wick hole, and a raised circumferential accent ring around the fill hole. As can be seen the design is even after the passage of almost 2,000 years, still intact. Though by no means rare, it is uncommon to find such a nice design in such a well-preserved state - unbroken and unrepaired, and without any cracks or major chips.

The vessel was of course buried for somewhere around two thousand years in the alkaline soil of present-day Israel/Palestine. As a consequence of this prolonged burial, there are some alkaline soil deposits adhering to the vessel, as you can see. They are removable if you are patient and can work with your fingernail or a plastic toothpick, etc. The adhesions are almost like hard plaster - but it is a thin layer, and so can be lifted away from the surface of the lamp. It would just require a few hours work - perhaps while watching television. Beneath the adhesions you can see the nice palm frond design, it is only a little fuzzy due to the porosity (light surface pitting) caused by burial in such caustic, alkaline soil for two millennia. However this is moreso on the underside of the vessel than apparent from the decorated topside.

With respect to the topside, there is simply a thin film of alkaline mineral deposits - it almost looks like a deposit of salt from ocean spray. It does look like this vessel was near the surface in an area which repeatedly became wet and then dried out. Over the centuries this moisture caused some surface crazing on both side of the vessel, moreso on one side than the other. Again, this more affects the underside of the vessel, and not the top side. These are not unstable cracks all the way through the material. Really one can think of them as severe "stretch marks" from repeated cycles of (water) weight gain followed by weight loss (dehydration). The style is very characteristic of the lamps manufactured for domestic use in the Roman Provinces of Palestine and Judaea. The palm frond was a symbol which even today is universally associated with the Levant Region of the Middle East. Such lamps were mold-produced in two parts, then assembled by hand. Such oil lamps were produced in huge quantities both for local consumption as well as export throughout the Roman Empire. Oil was filled into the center hole, and a wick placed in the front hole.

The lamp is in very good condition, without breakage or repairs other than the normal amount of chipping around the fill hole and wick hole consistent with usage in the ancient world. Typically the area immediately around the fill hole is light chipped, as is this specimen, as the oil was refilled from a clay oil bottle/pitcher. Of course the constant contact when refilled the lamp from the oil bottle caused the area around the fill hole to become worn. Likewise there is more often than not a little chipping around the nozzle, as is the case with this specimen, caused by the heat generated by the burning wick. The intense heat might often case small chips of earthenware to flake away - often the thin layer above the join between the top and bottom molded halves of the oil lamp. Again as is the case with this specimen, very characteristic indicators of use in an ancient household. The lamp is in very good condition, without any significant breakage and absolutely no repairs. Other than the alkaline soil adhesions already described, and the normal soot stains around the wick hole consistent with usage in the ancient world. The integrity of the vessel is unimpeached, it is truly in very good condition, a remarkable, poignant, and evocative relic not only of the glory that was the Roman World, but of early Judaism and Christianity - as well as that ancient culture which gave the modern world the alphabet and the wheel - the Phoenicians.

HISTORY: Pottery is amongst the most abundant artifacts unearthed during excavations of Roman, Byzantine, and ancient Judaean and Hebrew sites. Abundant throughout the empire, specimens such as this were even routinely and systematically exported by the Romans and their Byzantine successors. Manufactured throughout the empire the product was widely distributed throughout the Mediterranean world and even beyond into Britain, Spain and Germany. Oil lamps like this were utilitarian implements both for the kitchen, dining table, and for general household lighting. Think of them not only as a table lamp, but also as a flashlight. Most terra cotta pieces such as this were functional items, and tended to be rather plain - but oil lamps were oftentimes an exception, and could be ornately decorated. The most widely used pottery in the ancient world were oil lamps, bottles, unguentariums, pitchers, bowls and plates. Their basic shapes remained unchanged for over a thousand years. The bottles and pitchers were used to store wine, water, oil and other liquids.

This particular specimen came from the ancient city of Accho. Although Accho, present-day Acre is now part of Israel it was once part the Roman Province of Syria-Phoenice, adjacent to the Roman Province of Judaea. In fact, it is quite possible that this lamp was produced in Judaea and "exported" to Accho, less than 100 miles North of Jerusalem and present-day Tel Aviv. The ancient empire of Phoenicia, destined to become both part of the Hellenic and Roman Empires, was in its own right one of the more significant ancient cultures in the world's history. The area that ultimately became known as Phoenicia (derived from the Greek name Phoinikes) was at the western end of the Fertile Crescent, and was settled sometime around 3000 B.C. There anthropologists believe that the westward expansion of these peoples from Mesopotamia met the Mediterranean.

The earliest record of the Phoenicians is from about 1600 B.C. There they developed one of the earliest ancient and great seafaring Western cultures, using commerce as their principal motivation and source of influence. In fact, their name for themselves seems to have been Kena'ani (or Canaanites), a word which in Hebrew means "merchants." The prophet Ezekiel in his Biblical foretelling of the fall of one of Phoenicia's great cities, Tyre, reviews the extensive scope of Phoenician trade. It is believed that Byblos was the first city founded in Phoenicia, followed shortly thereafter by Tyre and Sidon. The later two cities gained prominence after about 1300 B.C., when Byblos was repeatedly sacked and razed by successive waves of raiders. The Phoenicians developed a vast commercial empire with settlements which stretched as far as North Africa and the coast of Spain.

Phoenicia was centered along the coast of what is now Lebanon, but as the centuries past it expanded along the coast north and south. Ugarit to the north was absorbed, and to the south substantial settlements grew into cities which survive in modern Israel; Accho (contemporary Acre), Joppa (Tel Aviv-Yafo) and Dor (Nasholim). However the Phoenicians were more of a trading empire, and never much of a political or military empire like the ancient Greeks and Romans who succeeded them. Consequentially Phoenicia was almost always under the dominion of another political-military empire. After about 1000 B.C. for instance, the Assyrians required regular tribute payments for their king. Before the Assyrians were the Egyptians, and following the Assyrians were the Persians, then the Greeks under Alexander, and finally the Romans.

However regardless of what throne claimed the land and the cities of Phoenicia, they nonetheless maintained economic independence. To the ancient Phoenicians the first order of business was business, and political considerations were secondary. It was only a question of to which throne tribute was to be paid. Thus the ancient Phoenicians were compelled to pushed west in search of new resources and commodities, founding great cities like Utica, and Carthage, a center that grew to become the biggest city in the western Mediterranean and the principal maritime and commercial center. In the process, and formed long-lasting alliances with many other regional powers such as the Kingdom of Israel. Unfortunately, as with much of what was once Phoenicia, little remains of the great cities that stood at the center of this ancient maritime power. None of the original buildings they lived in and temples they built are still standing, and there is no great wealth of art depicting exactly how they lived.

Unfortunately the Roman Empire was not satisfied with anything less than complete subjugation. Conflict between Phoenicia and the Roman Empire in the 3rd century B.C. (the Punic Wars) led to the total destruction of Carthage in particular, and the Phoenician Empire in general. The end witnessed a dispersion of its forces and people, and, for all practical purposes, the end of the era of Phoenicia's part in the development of the Mediterranean. However the Phoenician people themselves continued to thrive, trade, and flourish, despite their incorporation into the Roman province of Syria. The Roman Empire had become the paramount player in the region, and would tolerate no political, economic, or ideological competitor. And so the great Phoenician Empire was crushed underneath the feet of the Roman Legions and disappeared. However the great legacy of the alphabet, higher learning, and the capital cities of Phoenicia's past - Byblos, Sidon, Tyre, Ugarit and Carthage, survive even to today as testaments to the vitality of that ancient empire.

One of the greatest civilizations of recorded history was the ancient Roman Empire. In exchange for a very modest amount of contemporary currency, you can possess a small part of that great civilization in the form of a 2,000 year old piece of jewelry. The Roman civilization, in relative terms the greatest military power in the history of the world, was founded in the 8th century (B.C.). In the 4th Century (B.C.) the Romans were the dominant power on the Italian Peninsula, having defeated the Etruscans and Celts. In the 3rd Century (B.C.) the Romans conquered Sicily, and in the following century defeated Carthage, and controlled the Greece. Throughout the remainder of the 2nd Century (B.C.) the Roman Empire continued its gradual conquest of the Hellenistic (Greek Colonial) World by conquering Syria and Macedonia; and finally came to control Egypt in the 1st Century (B.C.).

The pinnacle of Roman power was achieved in the 1st Century (A.D.) as Rome conquered much of Britain and Western Europe. For a brief time, the era of "Pax Romana", a time of peace and consolidation reigned. Civilian emperors were the rule, and the culture flourished with a great deal of liberty enjoyed by the average Roman Citizen.However within 200 years the Roman Empire was in a state of steady decay, attacked by Germans, Goths, and Persians. In the 4th Century (A.D.) the Roman Empire was split between East and West. The Great Emperor Constantine temporarily arrested the decay of the Empire, but within a hundred years after his death the Persians captured Mesopotamia, Vandals infiltrated Gaul and Spain, and the Goths even sacked Rome itself.

Most historians date the end of the Western Roman Empire to 476 (A.D.) when Emperor Romulus Augustus was deposed. However the Eastern Roman Empire (The Byzantine Empire) survived until the fall of Constantinople in 1453 AD. At its peak, the Roman Empire stretched from Britain in the West, throughout most of Western, Central, and Eastern Europe, and into Asia Minor. Valuables such as coins and jewelry as well as more ordinary personal and household articles were commonly buried for safekeeping, and inevitably these ancient citizens would succumb to one of the many perils of the ancient world. Oftentimes the survivors of these individuals did not know where the valuables had been buried, and today, two thousand years later caches of coins and jewelry, as well as household and personal possessions are still commonly uncovered throughout Europe and Asia Minor.

These antiquities come from a number of collections which by and large originated here in Eastern Europe. As well, additional specimens are occasionally acquired from other institutions and dealers, principally in Eastern Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean. All of these artifacts are now in the United States and are available for immediate delivery via U.S. Mail. All purchases are backed by an unlimited guarantee of satisfaction and authenticity. If for any reason you are not entirely satisfied with your purchase, you may return it for a complete and immediate refund of your entire purchase price.

A certificate of authenticity (COA) is available upon request. Artifacts are mailed from the USA. Due to its fragile nature this particular piece is only shipped in an oversized box with lots of Styrofoam peanuts. The cost for shipping this item includes delivery confirmation (you can track your shipment on-line at the USPS Web Site). Additional items shipped together do result in a discount. The shipping weight of this item is 1 pounds. Various rates for shipping both domestically and internationally may be viewed here. A wide variety of cost-effective methods are available including surface mail, air mail, and expedited mail.