A Byzantine moulded terracotta oil lamp (commonly known as a slipper lamp). The lamp has an oval body with a large central filling hole surrounded by raised ridges, the shoulders geometric patterns, and a cross just above the nozzle.
 
Eastern Mediterranean: Circa 5th-7th century BC.
 
Complete and intact; with accretions. A little blackening around the nozzle from use.
Length 8.4 cms (3.3 ins)
 
Provenance: From a private Israeli collection 1990's
 
See our blog posts on oil lamps