Archaeologists in Jerusalem have discovered a rare oil lamp shaped liked a grotesque face in the foundation of a building that dates to the time between the destruction in AD 70 and the Roman rebuilding of the city as Aelia Capitolina. The unusual bronze lamp was made using a sculpted mold, and features a goat-like, male half-face with a satyr’s beard and a horned forehead; it is the only one of its kind yet discovered in Israel. Archaeologists believe it was left as a foundation deposit in a large building that was constructed upon the famous “Pilgrim Way.” Foundation deposits were common in the ancient world and consisted of a ritual offering buried during construction to bring luck and provide symbolic defense.
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