BIBLE HISTORY DAILY

Israel’s Long History of Ritual Light

Cornets suggest prehistoric fire ceremonies

A collection of cornet vessels from the Chalcolithic period. Photo by Sharon Zuhovitsky, courtesy of the Pontifical Biblical Institute.

Archaeology rarely hands us clear answers. More often, it provides puzzles that resist easy explanation yet feel charged with meaning. Chalcolithic “cornets” found in the southern Levant offer precisely this sort of puzzle. Produced roughly between 4700 and 3800 BCE, these small cone-shaped ceramic vessels have long intrigued scholars. Recent research on cornets excavated in the 1930s from the site of Teleilat Ghassul in modern Jordan has begun to clarify how they were used and, in so doing, opens a window into the prehistory of biblical ideas about light, ritual, and holiness.

Chalcolithic cornets involve a constellation of unusual features. They appear in extraordinary numbers at certain Chalcolithic-period sites in Israel and Jordan but then disappear completely from the archaeological record. Usually found in clusters and often broken and discarded in pits, cornets show variation in craftsmanship despite consistently being made from local clays. Even when their exteriors are decorated with paint, their interiors are left rough and unfinished. Some but not all have handles, and none have bases that allow them to stand unsupported.

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Traditionally, scholars have associated these enigmatic objects with dairy processing, which indeed emerged during the Chalcolithic period, hypothesizing that the vessel’s conical shape aided in the separation of liquid from cream. Others argue they were a type of bowl, though, admittedly, the unsmoothed interior would have made them difficult to clean. The discovery of beeswax residue in multiple vessels led some scholars to suggest they were a type of lamp–a theory initially dismissed due to an apparent absence of soot.

Aiming to finally solve this mystery, researchers from Tel Aviv University systematically examined dozens of cornets excavated from Teleilat Ghassul along with hundreds of diagnostic sherds. Using a method known as experimental archaeology—pairing ancient techniques with modern materials—they also created their own cornets to better understand how the vessel’s unique features could have supported its function and use.

Their analysis provided several new insights into the use life and ultimate discard of cornets. First, the consistent pattern of decorated exteriors and unfinished interiors is best explained by the presence of beeswax: The interior was filled and not meant to be seen or cleaned. The experimental replicas further showed that beeswax–not an everyday material in Chalcolithic contexts–burns cleanly and does not always leave visible soot. Even so, contrary to earlier interpretations, the team identified traces of soot on some cornets, suggesting controlled burning. Replica cornets also indicated that, when present, the handles likely functioned as suspension loops, allowing some lamps to be hung, while others were held by their elongated bases.

Experimental modern cornets used as lamps, either held by the base or by rope-strung handles. Image courtesy Sharon Zuhovitsky.

Second, many cornet vessels and sherds bear signs of intentional breakage. Given that broken cornets were often found clustered together in pits, the researchers believe the vessels may have been deliberately broken and discarded after use in ceremonial processions, which are documented at Teleilat Ghassul through elaborate wall paintings. This evidence, together with the vessels’ local clay, unfinished interiors, traces of soot, and occasional handles–supported by experimental replication–point to cornets as widely accessible ritual light sources that were intentionally broken and buried after use.

The Chalcolithic cornets of Teleilat Ghassul suggest that long before Israelite ritual was codified in text, communities of the southern Levant were already shaping light into a ceremonial act. The biblical tradition, then, may be understood not as inventing ritual light, but as inheriting and adapting an older human impulse: to mark sacred moments through fire.

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