Bi-Lanceolate Pottery Oil Lamps
Late Roman - Byzantine, Holyland (Syro-Palestinian), c. 270 - 500 A.D.
By Joseph Sermarini
Hadad S. The Oil Lamps from the Hebrew University Excavations at Bet Shean. Qedem 4. (Jerusalem, 2002), p. 27, type 16, 55. Available Online
Adler notes these lamps are found throughout the northern part of Israel, especially in Beit Shean and Hamat Gader, and date to the fourth and fifth centuries. Sussman lists more than a dozen very similar lamps, most found at Beit Shean, and she dates them to the late third and fourth centuries. Rosenthal and Sivan note the type is found only in the North, and date it to the third - fourth century.
Most specimens are small. The type has a mold-made, oblong body (Sussman says "boat shaped") incorporating both the nozzle and handle. The handle is pointed and projects horizontally and not higher than the lamp. A large filling-hole is surrounded by a prominent ridge separated from the shoulder by an incised line. The decoration is low relief and consists of a number of impressed and incised designs on the shoulder around the filling hole, nozzle and handle, and rarely on the bottom: herringbone, lozenges, circles, pelleted annulets (Sussman calls them nail heads), lines, rope patterns and ladder patterns. The handle is most often decorated with grooves incised lengthwise, two or three being most common. These grooves are occasionally matched on the spout between the fill and wick holes. The wick hole is round and was pierced from within before joining the top and bottom. The base is either flat or, more frequently, slightly convex. Ring bases are know but not common. The clay is buff or brown (sometimes orange-brown or yellowish brown), often with a very thin reddish-brown slip on the upper half, occasionally with splashes below. Sussman lists more than a dozen very similar lamps, most found at Beit
Shean, and she dates them to the late third and fourth centuries. At
this time,, Beit Shean, was primarily Christian, as attested to by the
large number of churches including a rotunda church on top of the Tell.
Evidence of Jewish habitation and a Samaritan synagogue indicate
established minority communities.
Hamat Gader was already a well known health and recreation site in Roman times, mentioned in Strabo, Origen and Eunapius, as well as the Rabbinic literature. Construction of the bath complex began in the 2nd century by the 10th Roman Legion, which was garrisoned in nearby Gadara. The site includes a Roman theater, which was built in the 3rd century with 2,000 seats. The ancient Hebrew name means hot springs of (the ancient city of) Gadara (modern Umm Qais). The Arabic name El-Hamma preserves this, and the name of the tel located near the site, Tel Bani, is a corruption of the Latin word meaning "baths." The empress Aelia Eudocia composed a poem praising the qualities of the multiple springs which was inscribed so that visitors could see it as they went into the pool.
References
Adler, N.
Oil Lamps of the Holy Land from the Adler Collection. (Israel, 2004), p. 78,
type N.2, 459 (dotted amulets) - 460 (herringbone).
Adler, S.
Adler Collection Website:
http://www.steve-adler.com/OilLampsMain.htm,
type N.2
Elgavish, J.
The Art of Lamps in Israel in the Roman and Byzantine Periods. (Jerusalem, 1962),
type 31.*
Hadad S.
The Oil Lamps from the Hebrew University Excavations at Bet Shean.
Qedem 4. (Jerusalem, 2002), pp. 26 - 29,
type 16, 53 - 73.
Available OnlineKennedy, C. "The Development of the
Lamp in Palestine" in
Berytus Archaeological Studies XIV (Beirut, 1963), pp. 67 - 115.*
Nagorsky, A. "The Oil
Lamps from Bet She’an (Youth Hostel)" in
Atiqot 77 (2014), pp. 1 - 21, fig. 2 (see below).
Available OnlineRosenthal, R. & R. Sivan.
Ancient Lamps in the Schloessinger Collection.
Qedem 8.
(Jerusalem, 1978), pp. 111 - 112, nos. 450 - 451 (see below).
Sussman, V.
Late Roman to Late Byzantine/Early Islamic Period Lamps in the Holy Land: The Collection of the Israel Antiquities Authority. (
Oxford, 2017), pp. 276 - 279, 3113 - 3149.
Sussman, V. "Northern Stamped Oil
Lamps and their Typology" in
Michmanim 4 (1989), pp. 22 - 58.*
*Not held by
FORVM. If you have or see a copy for sale or online, please let us know.
AL93883. Bi-lanceolate oil lamp; cf. Sussman Late 3141; Schloessinger Qedem 8 450; Adler type N2; near Choice, bold incised/punched ornamentation, handle chipped (visible in photos); 8.1 cm (3 3/16") long, c. 270 - 500 A.D.; mold made, buff clay, trace of red-brown slip on top running to bottom, the boat shaped body includes the entire lamp from tip of nozzle to tip of handle, wide rim surrounds a large fill hole, incised and punched decoration: row of pellets in annulets over diagonal lines around shoulders, incised lines lengthwise on handle, two pellet in annulet punches on bottom of handle
AL93875. Bi-lanceolate oil
lamp; cf.
Sussman Late 3125 ff.;
Qedem 8
451;
Adler type N2, 460;
Choice,
complete and
intact, bold
ornamentation, traces of slip within incised
decorations, soot on nozzle; 7.9 cm (3 1/8") long, c. 270 - 500 A.D.;
mold made, light brown clay, darker red-brown slip, the boat shaped body
includes the entire
lamp from tip of nozzle to tip of "tongue"
handle,
wide rim surrounds a large fill hole separated from should by incised
line, incised herring-bone geometric
wreath pattern on narrow convex
shoulders, two incised lengthwise lines on the
handle and between the
fill whole and wick hole
AL93907. Large bi-lanceolate oil
lamp; cf.
Sussman Late 3133;
Adler
type N2, 460;
Qedem 8 451 (all smaller),
Choice,
complete and
intact,
slip worn, soot on nozzle,
large size: 10.8 cm (4 1/4") long, c.
270 - 500 A.D.; mold made, buff clay, traces of thin red slip on top,
boat shaped body includes the entire
lamp from tip of nozzle to tip of
"tongue"
handle, wide rim surrounds a large fill hole, incised
herring-bone geometric
wreath pattern also with raised dots on narrow
convex shoulders, two incised lengthwise grooves on the
handle;
much larger then usual for the type
AL93924. Bi-lanceolate oil
lamp; cf.
Sussman Late 3125 ff.;
Adler Collection
type N2, 460;
Qedem 8 451;
Choice
condition,
complete and
intact, soot on nozzle; 7.6 cm (3") long, c. 270
- 500 A.D.; mold made, buff clay, traces of thin red slip on top, boat
shaped body includes the entire
lamp from tip of nozzle to tip of
"tongue"
handle, wide rim and incised groove surround a large fill hole,
incised herring-bone geometric
wreath pattern on narrow convex
shoulders, three incised lengthwise grooves on the
handle
AL93930. Bi-lanceolate oil
lamp; cf.
Sussman Late 3125;
Adler
Collection
type N2, 460;
Qedem 8 451,
Choice,
complete and
intact, tiny
chips (from ancient use), soot on nozzle; 8.7 cm (3 3/8") long, c. 270 -
500 A.D.; mold made, buff-pink clay, boat shaped biconvex body includes
the entire
lamp from tip of nozzle to tip of "tongue"
handle, wide rim
and incised groove surround a large fill hole, pair of grooves on
handle, incised herring-bone geometric
wreath pattern on narrow convex
shoulders
AL93902. Bi-lanceolate oil
lamp; cf.
Sussman Late 3125;
Adler
Collection
type N2, 460;
Qedem 8 451,
Choice,
complete and
intact, bold
incised
wreath pattern; 7.6 cm (3") long, c. 270 - 500 A.D.; mold made,
buff clay, trace of thin red slip on upper half, boat shaped body
includes the entire
lamp from tip of nozzle to tip of "tongue"
handle,
wide rim surrounds a large fill hole and is separated from shoulder with
incised line, incised herring-bone geometric
wreath pattern on narrow
convex shoulders, two incised lengthwise lines on the
handle
AL93904. Bi-lanceolate oil
lamp; cf.
Sussman Late 3142;
Adler
Collection
type N2, 459;
Qedem 8 450, near
Choice,
complete and
intact,
minor wear and tiny chips (visible in photos); 8.3 cm (3 1/4") long, c.
270 - 500 A.D.; mold made, light brown clay, traces of thin red slip,
boat shaped body includes the entire
lamp from tip of nozzle to tip of
handle, wide rim surrounding large fill hole separated from shoulder by
incised line, row of pellets in annulets with additional pellets around
shoulders, three incised lines lengthwise on the
handle
AL93917. Bi-lanceolate oil
lamp; cf.
Sussman Late 3125;
Adler
Collection
type N2, 460;
Qedem 8 450,
Choice, completed and
intact,
light deposits, soot on nozzle; 7.4 cm (2 7/8") long, c. 270 - 500 A.D.;
mold made, pink-buff clay, boat shaped body includes the entire
lamp
from tip of nozzle to tip of "tongue"
handle, wide rim surrounding large
fill hole is separated from shoulder by incised line, incised
herring-bone geometric
wreath pattern on narrow convex shoulders, two
incised lengthwise lines on the
handle
AL43871. Bi-lanceolate oil
lamp; cf.
Sussman Late 3116 (same decoration); Hadad
Qedem 4 type 16, 61;
Adler Collection
type N2, 460;
Qedem 8 451,
Choice, mild wear, small chips, light deposits, soot on nozzle; 8.7cm long, 6.5cm wide, 2.4cm high, c. 270 - 500 A.D.; mold made, buff clay, boat shaped body includes the entire
lamp from tip of nozzle to tip of "tongue"
handle, wide double rim surrounds a large fill hole, the
outer fill hole rim incised with rope pattern, incised herring-bone geometric
wreath pattern on narrow convex shoulders, two incised lengthwise lines on the
handle
AL43873. Bi-lanceolate oil
lamp; cf.
Sussman Late 3125;
Adler type N2, 460; Hadad
Qedem 4 type 16;
Qedem 8 451 (none with herring-bone on
handle),
Collectible, chips, soot on nozzle; 8.2cm (3 1/4") long, 6.0cm (2 3/8") wide, 2.8cm (1 1/8") high, c. 270 - 500 A.D.; mold made, buff-pink clay, the boat shaped body includes the entire
lamp from tip of nozzle to tip of "tongue"
handle, wide rim surrounds a large fill hole separated from should by incised line, incised herring-bone geometric
wreath pattern on narrow convex shoulders, two incised lengthwise lines and
herring-bone pattern on the handle, four or five lines between the fill whole and wick hole
AL43872. Bi-lanceolate oil
lamp; cf.
Sussman Late 3133; Hadad
Qedem 4 type, 16;
Adler Collection
type N2, 460;
Qedem 8 451 (none with dots on
handle),
Choice, light deposits, 9.6cm (3 3/4") long, 5.9cm (2 3/8") wide, 3.0cm (1 1/4") tall, c. 270 - 500 A.D.; mold made, buff-pink clay, boat shaped biconvex body includes the entire
lamp from tip of nozzle to tip of "tongue"
handle, wide rim and incised groove surround a large fill hole,
row of dots between a pair of grooves on handle, incised herring-bone geometric
wreath pattern on narrow convex shoulders
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