This collection of pottery and other artifacts was acquired in the 1970's by Dr. Charles F. McCook, former head of the Department of Religion, during seven trips that he took to Israel to study Archaeology. The focus of the collection is the terra cotta oil lamps, purchased to demonstrate their evolution during different archaeological time periods and their contribution to the dating of the site where each was found. The earliest type of lamp in the collection is a simple, shallow bowl made during the Early (Canaanite) Bronze Age, 2700-2300 BCE. As cultures developed, pottery became more complex, and by the Hellenistic Period, 332-37 BCE, lamps had gradually become enclosed with smaller openings to better contain the wick and oil. By the Byzantine Period, 324-640 CE, surface decoration began to be added, some of it with Christian iconography. Dark areas on the lamps indicate where the wick burned the oil. Other pottery items in the collection include bowls, jugs and vases, and non-ceramic items include a facsimile of a plaque featuring the goddess Astarte, Roman nails (found in England), a petrified shell and a piece of copper slag.
This petrified seashell was found in the Negev Desert of Israel. While its exact date of deposit in the region is not known, it has been dated to before the Ice Age to approximately 23-66 million years old.
This plaque is a facsimile of the one found by archaeologists at Tel Gezer in 1966 while Dr. McCook was participating in the dig. Astarte was worshipped by the Canaanites and is of Mesopotamian origin as a goddess of love, war and hunting. This plaque is unique in that her hairdo is Egyptian, thus reflecting the influence of the Egyptians in Palestine during this period.
The hole in this bowl found in Doura, a northern suburb of Jerusalem, may have been the result of an accident. However, it could also show that this vessel has been rendered unusable after its use in a sacrifice.
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