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The lamp, in the form of a small clay bowl in which oil was burned, was
the most common form of domestic lighting from very early times. As olive
oil was plentiful in Palestine, this was the fuel normally used in lamps.
“As thou shalt command the children of Yisra’el, that they bring pure
olive oil beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always”
(Exodus 27:20); the wick was usually made of flax.
According to the Mishna, a much greater variety of oils was used for
lighting during the Roman period, included oils extracted from sesame
seeds, nuts, horseradish and vegetable resins: naptha (an inflammable oil,
obtained by dry distillation of coal, shale, etc.) is also mentioned. The
shapes of lamps, and the materials from which they were made, are never
specified in the Bible, but clay lamps are among the most common pottery
vessels found in the archaeological remains, both in dwellings and in
tombs. Since they were very simple and cheap household utensils, their
shape was not influenced by fashion as much as that of other pottery
vessels. They do however, constitute an important source for the study of
art, religious customs and symbols...
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