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2006.07.0003: This juglet may have held oil or perfume. It is probably from the Middle Bronze Age, about 17th century bce. The slip can still be seen on this piece, giving it an orange color. |
Museum supporter Tauby Shimkin generously donated three ceramic oil juglets and two ceramic oil lamps purchased during her travels in the Holy Land. These items are believed to originate from Jericho and Hebron, two ancient cities in the West Bank of Israel with a long archaeological history dating back to the earliest human cultures.
Though it was made thousands of years ago, the pottery in this collection was created in a similar fashion to the pottery of today. The pieces were formed on a potter’s wheel by coiling the clay upward to create a basic hollow form, then smoothing the clay into the desired form. The exterior of the juglets were finished by burnishing (rubbing with a stone to smooth and polish) or by applying a slip (a watery thin layer of colored clay). |
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2006.07.0001: Dipper juglets like this one were used for transporting small amounts of oil. This dipper juglet, possibly from southern Israel, dates to the Iron Age, approximately 9th-7th century bce.
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2006.07.0002: An older dipper juglet, this piece probably dates to the Late Bronze Age, approximately 16th century bce.
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2006.07.0004: Lamps like this (called “Herodian”) were made in Palestine from the end of the 1st century bce through 70 ce. They were set on a stand or hung from the ceiling. The lamp would have held oil in its base, and a wick (a twisted piece of cloth or cotton soaked in oil) would be placed in the spout and lit. The blackened edge of the spout attests to its use.
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2006.07.0005: This open-form oil lamp is much older than the other lamp. After forming the shallow bowl, a potter shaped the lamp by folding in two edges to form the spout. Oil was placed in the shallow basin and a wick set into the spout for lighting. This lamp probably dates to the Late Bronze Age, or about 15th-14th century bce.
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Learn More: Three Juglets and Two Oil Lamps from the Holy Land 2006.07
Most of the artifacts in New Acquisitions articles are chosen to allow website visitors to explore artifacts that are not on display in the Museum's galleries. Try searching the database or exploring the Virtual Tour to find artifacts on display.
 
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