Byzantine Oil Lamp

Small candlestick lamp with rim around the wick hole, a linear band around the shoulders, a ring base and a loop handle at the back. This type of Byzantine lamp is often associated with Jerusalem and Judea, although it has also been found in other parts of Israel.

A lamp such as this might have lit homes in the Holy Land during the early flowering of Byzantium. A metaphor for joy and prosperity, for hope, for life itself, lamps have illuminated the path of civilization for centuries. They have shed light on mundane and extraordinary events alike, guiding great thoughts through the night, and standing vigil with lonely passions. In the presence of this simple object, we are in touch directly with a vanished world, with the rooms and shrines once warmed by its glow, with the people who drew comfort from its light. Today it remains as an enduring symbol of man’s desire to conquer the darkness. – (LO.1167)