New Light on Daily Life at Beth Shean

Shamos talks about the excavation of Beth Shean, which yielded a rich trove of lamps dating from the Roman period to the years following the Arab conquest in the mid-7th century CE. These objects help shed light on daily life and systems of belief in Byzantine Palestine. Late Antique lamps could be made from expensive materials like bronze or silver. Such lamps often adorned wealthy public institutions and the private residences of the affluent. Frequently formed into zoomorphic shapes, metal lamps were typically freestanding, although some were also fitted with hooks for hanging or included sockets in their bases for placement on lampstands that could be as tall as four feet high. Glass lamps usually appeared in the form of kandelai, conical containers suspended from the ceiling or placed in stands made of wood or metal.