Bolli con menorah su anfore Keay LII e lucerne di età bizantina da Napoli

Abstract

A menorah seal impression on a Keay 52 fragment and a Byzantine lamp from Naples

In this article, there are presented two items linked, in different ways, with the Jewish presence in Late Antique and Byzantine Naples. Both of them are fairly recent finds, within the framework of the estensive excavations carried out for the new urban subway system, that brought about a number of unexpected archaeological discoveries. The first item is a fragment of a handle of a Keay 52-type amphora, dated to the 5^th century and bearing a seal impression with a barely legible menorah. Similar impressions are already known, on the same kind of support, from Rome and Calabria, and have been connected with the production and distribution of kasher wine from South Calabria to other places in Italy: Naples included, as we now know. The second object is a ‘slipper lamp’ of the Byzantine period (possibly, 8^th century) bearing a problematic symbol which has been variously identified, on similar lamps, as a palm branch, a candlestick, or a menorah. This lamp is, unfortunately, decontextualized, and its original meaning cannot be ascertained, but it is possible that this kind of decoration was formulated to appeal to both Christian and Jewish users.