Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1884-05-28
FORGERS AT JERUSALEM.
The Manufacture of Antique Lamps, and
Their Sale to Tourists.

The Manufacture of Antique Lamps, and
Their Sale to Tourists.
M. Clermont- Ganneau writes to the
London Times: For some little time
past the forgers at Jerusalem appear to
have applied themselves to the cultiva-
ton of another branch of industry. /
say 'for some little time past, =" because
In the year 1880 there was no question of
it at Jerusalem, and if the industry had
existed some product of it would certain
ly have fallen into my hands during my
stay in Palestine at that period. I refer
to the manufacture of terra Gotta lamps.
The forgers have had the ingenious
idea of initiating those little antique
lamps, belonging for the most part to the
Christian epoch, which have been found
by hundreds in Jerusalem and it's neigh
borhood. Several of them-I am speak
ing Of the authentic ones-bear very Gu
rious Christian symbols, and some of
them even Greek inscriptions, the first
specimen of which I made known in 1868.
They are pious eulogies, such as "The
light of Christ shines for ALL" ''Beauti-
full lamps" etc. This latter epigraph
has the advantage of giving us the very
name of these lamps, of these lycnnaria,
which probably served as well for pro-
fame as for sacred purposes.
Nothing is more easy than to counter
felt these little lychnaria, which were
cast in rude molds. The two portions
the upper and the lower-were nodded
separately. and they were then put to-
gether before the baking of the clay. I
discovered and brought away with me
several of these antique moids used in
Palestine.
[ do not know whether the forgers
have made use of upper castings (Su'-
naouyageS), or whether they have repro
duced in their entirety certain models
which they can hardly have failed to pro-
cure. At all events they have put in
circulation q considerable number of
false lychnaria and have multiplied them
in abundance, thanks to the expeditions
process of molding initiated from the an
clients. In order to make the fraud
more profitable, they have ornamented
their wares with fancy inscriptions. Hav-
ing once set themselves to this task,
they do not do things by halves. Greek
Christian inscriptions, like those which
are already known, were but small beer
LII OhOhAs hCOAOW 4u6CAlpGtOA6, IL yOU
please!
Here, for example, is little clay ly-
criuonah which is worth it's weight in
gold. It is circulated at Jerusalem in
several copies, and I recommend it to
tourists. On the upper part is repre-
sented palm tree, separating into two
sections group of four archaic Hebrew
letters, which are read without difficulty
-"Simeon." The counterfeiter has
simply copied the complete type of the
reverse of one of the Jewish coins struck
during the last revolt. It is the coin
which is ordinarily attributed by numis-
matists, though the correctness of the
statement is open to discussion, to the
famous Barcochebas. A lamp with the
name of the Jewish herol That is in
deed wonderful lamp" Unfortun-
ately, here Aladdin probably calls him.
self Selim el-Kari, and it is with the sto-
ry of the Forty Thieves that we have to
do.
[ am informed from Jerusalem that
there was found in acaverr near Hebron,
during the summer of 1883, a quantity
of terra Gotta lamps of the same type,
description, and size, bearing on the up
per part similar inscription in illegible
characters of Semitic appearance. Al
though this Sind" appears to me to be
very suspicious, I suspend my judg-
ment regarding it until am more fully
informed.