This little juglet-oil filler from the Hellenistic Period (330-37 B.C., when the Greeks occupied the Land after the destruction of the First Temple) actually plays a huge role in Jewish history... and modern life. According to legend, the Hellenistic King Antiochus Epiphanes desecrated the Temple, rendering all the ritual oil impure and thus unfit for use. Upon overcoming the Greek forces, the rebelling Jewish warriors known as the Maccabees took possession of the Temple and sought to reconsecrate it to the service of God, but they found only one juglet- such as this one- whose oil had not been defiled.

A miracle occurred, however, and the oil in this one little juglet, really only enough to last one day, burned for eight days and nights... the time needed to make new, ritually pure oil. This miracle is still celebrated annually and is known as Chanukah, the Festival of Lights.

The original juglet on which this one was modeled was discovered in a cave on Mt. Zion in Jerusalem and is today part of the Antika Collection.

The Jerusalem Pottery Kit contains:

• potsherds buried in sand;
• glue (for sticking together potsherds);
• paintbrush (for applying glue);
• plaster (for filling in holes);
• "spatula" (for applying plaster);
• balloon (for applying plaster in some pieces);
• complete instructions and a welcome to the world of archaeology by Perli Pelzig (English & Hebrew);
• scroll explaining the beginnings of ancient pottery (English & Hebrew);
• a display card containing interesting information about the origin, usage, and history of your pot (English & Hebrew).

Assembled Size: 3.5" X 3.5" X 6"