This oil lamp would have lit homes during the early flourishing of Christianity. The center of the lamp is decorated with the Labarum, an overlapping X and P representing the Greek initials of Jesus Christ. This is one of the earliest symbols for Christ and is found in Catacombs, early signet rings, and ordinary objects such as this lamp. A metaphor for joy and prosperity, for hope, for life itself, lamps have illuminated the path of civilization for centuries; they have guided great thoughts through the night, stood vigil with lonely passions. In the presence of this simple object, we are directly in touch with a vanished world, with the people once warmed by its glow. Today, it remains as an enduring symbol of man's desire to conquer darkness and reach the path of holy enlightenment. - (PF.5574)

Antiquities
Ancient Near East