Oil Lamp

Canaanite from Sinijil, Middle Bronze Age 1, 2400-2000 BCE
Clay
Cincinnati Skirball Museum, HUC 5902

The Skirball Museum’s permanent collection includes an important group of archeological
materials from biblical and later historical periods that illuminate and contextualize early Jewish
life. Among these are a group of oil lamps that reflect a variety of increasingly sophisticated and
decorative approaches to the design of an object that was ubiquitous in the ancient world.

This 4-wick example is among the earliest forms. Such an oil lamp would be filled with water
and wicks would be floated on oil poured over the water. Oil was a precious commodity and was
used sparingly.

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