A Roman Shoe Brooch from a Beit Nattif Lamp Workshop at Kh. Shumeila
Recent archaeological excavations at Kh. Shumeila, in the Judaean Shephelah, uncovered remains of a villa rustica (rural estate). The villa, dated to the Late Roman period, consisted of a domestic wing with an industrial area dedicated to the production of terracotta oil lamps. The lamp workshop at...
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| Format: | Print Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Soc.
2021
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| In: |
Israel exploration journal
Year: 2021, Volume: 71, Issue: 1, Pages: 87-100 |
| Summary: | Recent archaeological excavations at Kh. Shumeila, in the Judaean Shephelah, uncovered remains of a villa rustica (rural estate). The villa, dated to the Late Roman period, consisted of a domestic wing with an industrial area dedicated to the production of terracotta oil lamps. The lamp workshop at Kh. Shumeila produced an array of Beit Nattif type lamps that are a hallmark of the Late Roman material culture of Judaea. This article presents a single enamelled shoe-shaped brooch found during excavations. Brooch wearing was a common practice throughout the entire Roman Empire. In contrast to simple pins that were worn for functionality, elaborate decorated brooches made of expensive materials served as important status symbols. Shoe brooches are a unique elaborate type of brooch, commonly found in the northwestern provenances of the Roman Empire. The Kh. Shumeila shoe brooch is the only one to have been discovered far outside the normal distribution in the eastern provenances. The brooch may have reached Judaea as part of a garrisoned Roman soldier’s non-combat outfit or may have belonged to a settled veteran who wore it as a symbol of status. |
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| ISSN: | 0021-2059 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Israel exploration journal
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