Fourth grade students from Kibbutz Parod with certificates they received from the Israel Antiquities Authority for finding and turning in an ancient oil lamp. Photo: IAA.

Fourth grade students from Kibbutz Parod in northern Israel uncovered a 2,000-year-old clay oil lamp while on an afternoon stroll near their home, the Ministry of Education for the Northern District announced Sunday.

The children described seeing something out of the ordinary jutting out from beneath the earth, like a unique stone. They shared the discovery with their parents, who reported the lamp to the Israel Antiquities Authority, which honored the unwitting excavators with a “good citizenship” certificate.

Dr. Einat Amber-Armon, the IAA’s head of education in the northern region, said in comments reported by local media that the area featured a large Jewish village in ancient times, as established by archaeological excavations and historical sources. “Thanks to the discovery of the candle close to Hanukkah, we received a greeting from the Jewish settlement of ancient Parod,” she said.

“The candle that was discovered is a typical candle for the Jewish settlement in the early Roman period,” Amber-Armon added. “For the most part, candles of this type are not decorated, in contrast to the Roman candles of the same period.”

The discovery was “special,” she explained, as “it is quite rare to find just a whole candle like this. The boys and their parents demonstrated good citizenship by returning the find to the Antiquities Authority.”

The oil lamp was found outside the parameters of an ongoing excavation in the kibbutz, which was undertaken ahead of the construction of a new neighborhood.

Eli Eskosido, director of the IAA, said it was typical to unearth special discoveries during the time of year around the Hanukkah holiday, due to the rains characteristic of the season. Last month, a 3,000-year-old seal was spotted during a school field trip southeast of Tel Aviv.