Ancient Jewish style: Why were ossuaries and southern oil lamps decorated?

This article aims to explore the social dynamics underlying the emergence of decorated ossuaries and "Southern" oil lamps in light of the anthropological-archaeological study of style. The great variety of motifs and endless combination of patterns correspond to Polly Wiessner's definition of "assertive" (individualistic) style. It is therefore suggested that the decorations derive from a tendency to express the personal identity of the owners of the lamps or the deceased buried in the ossuaries. Examination of the functions of the ossuaries and oil lamps also attests to their individualistic characteristics. Finally, the motivation for displaying personality through ornamentation is explained by social developments in Jewish society during the early Roman period.