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August 18, 2006
Friday Pot Blogging
Pictured below is an example of a rather typical Iron I Age oil lamp.
While there is disagreement, the Iron I Age is commonly dated between about 1200 BCE and 950 BCE. Like the Late Bronze Age lamp pictured last week, this lamp has a rounded bottom but the wick pinch is somewhat tighter and the rim has a significant outward flare.
I can't make up my mind about the blackening of the wick pinch and a few other blackened areas on this lamp. On balance, I think the blackening is authentic in this case. The lamp may have been in a fire or the oil in the lamp may have ignited around the wick pinch and, perhaps on several occasions, spilled out of the lamp. The blackening seems well embedded in the surface of the lamp and there are signs of patina over the blackening in a few places although there are also a couple of places where it looks like the blackening has disappeared. In addition, the area inside the lamp under and behind the wick pinch (not completely visible in the picture) is heavily blackened. Blackening in this area is not typical of the efforts of antiquities dealers trying to increase the value of a lamp. It could have resulted from the oil in the lamp having been of fire. But one never knows.
This lamp shows some slight chipping of the rim and some significant calcium build up, likely from leaching, particularly on the base but is otherwise in nearly perfect condition. Like all the pottery in this collection, the providence of this lamp is unknown except that it is from Palestine broadly defined.
Posted by Duane Smith at August 18, 2006 9:40 AM | Read more on Archaeology |
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