A rare bronze oil lamp, believed to be the first discovery of its kind in Israel, was unearthed this week during excavations conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority in the City of David National Park in Jerusalem.
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The artifact, which dates back to the period after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, was found in the foundations of a building, which archeologists believe was deliberately buried there "to bring good luck to the occupants of the building."
"The building where the lamp was discovered was built directly on top of the Pilgrimage Road at the end of the Second Temple period," archeologist Dr. Yuval Baruch explained.
"It is possible that the importance of the building, and the need to bless its activity with luck by burying a foundation deposit, was due to its proximity to the Siloam Pool, which was also used in the Roman period as the central source of water within the city."
The archeologists have discovered only half of the artifact, which is shaped like a bearded man, and hope to find the second half soon.
After the bronze lamp was unearthed, it was sent to the authority for treatment and preservation and put in the care of Ilia Reznitsky, who discovered, upon further inspection, that inside the lamp was preserved its wick, a very rare find.
Archeologists also pointed out that while many decorated bronze oil lamps that were used as candelabras or hung from a chain have been discovered throughout the Roman Empire, the one unearthed in the City of David is a very rare find, with only a few other such artifacts found in the world, and only the first of its kind in Jerusalem.
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