Chashmonaim-Era Oil Lamp Discovered at Kever of Shmuel Hanavi, Announced on Chanukah

An ancient clay oil lamp over 2,000 years old has been uncovered at the kever of Shmuel Hanavi, the Civil Administration announced Monday night, the second night of Chanukah, without specifying the exact date of the discovery.

The lamp was found during archaeological work conducted by the Staff Officer for the Archaeology Unit of the Civil Administration. According to the statement, it dates to the period when the Chashmonaim dynasty ruled in Eretz Yisrael, between the mid-2nd century and the mid-1st century BCE.

The Chashmonaim kingdom was established by the Maccabim, who miraculously defeated the Syrian Greek army, which tried to stamp out Yiddishkeit. Archaeological authorities often time announcements of discoveries to coincide with related yamim tovim, and the discovery is even more timely due to the neis of the oil flask which occured on Chanukah, when a one-day supply of pure oil, sealed by the Cohen Gadol and discovered by the Maccabim, lasted for eight days, until the Jews were able to harvest new olives.

Clay lamps and pottery are typically dated by archaeologists based on their typology.

The Civil Administration, a branch of the Defense Ministry’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), oversees civilian affairs in Yehudah and Shomron, including archaeological work.

The site of the kever, located northwest of Yerushalayim, is designated as a national park by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority.