A Samaritan terracotta oil lamp, made of light-coloured clay, and decorated with a ladder pattern around the nozzle and stylised flowers and leaves around the discus. The discus itself is unbroken (see below), of significance in Samaritan oil lamps.
 
Ancient Holy Land Samaria: Circa 4th century AD.
 
Very Fine condition, complete and intact.
Length 8.5 cms (3.3 ins)
 
Published: Item 657: Oil Lamps of the Holy Land: The Adler Collection; Israel 2004 Exported with export approval licence of the Israel Antiquities Authority.
 
The Samaritans were known for stricter adherence to purity laws than many contemporary Jewish groups and a guarantee of Ritual Purity was especially important to them: a sealed lamp was considered a "closed vessel" that could not contract ritual impurity (tuma) during transport or storage, a proof of newness. The unbroken discus served as a "seal of freshness," proving to the buyer that the lamp was brand new and had never been used or defiled.