Lamp

MU441 is a pottery lamp with a pinched spout. The lamp is made from a reddish pottery fabric, although the fabric appears to be coarse with natural inclusions evident in the vessel. The object shows signs of ware such as deteriorated edges along the top edge of the lamp, suggesting that it was used often. Although the lamp was too small for the storage of oil, it would have held a practical purpose, as the lamp could have had a wick placed inside with the oil that was lit up, illuminating dark places. The spout on the end of the lamp was there to pour any liquid out of the vessel in a concentrated flow, as to not spill the liquid when transferring it to a storage vessel such as a pithos. The fact that the oil lamp is a ubiquitous object which is found at many sites across Israel attests to its significance in the everyday life of people in ancient Israel. Some oil lamps like MU441 have been reliably provenanced to tomb contexts, implying that they had a role either to provide funerary offerings for the deceased, or to light up the tomb so that visitors could view the tomb upon entry.