Mould-made glazed terracotta oil lamp of circular design. The central discus portrays the sea nymph Thetis riding a dolphin.
Intact and in excellent condition. Length: 3 3/8 inches.
Ancient Roman - circa 1st century AD
For lamps with similar shape see Lamps from the Athenian Agora, Princeton 1963, figure 100 and the series of lamps excavated in Cyprus and now in the British Museum (Q2384-Q2420) – dated to 40-100 AD.
In the villas, palaces and shops of the Greek, Roman and Byzantine Empires terracotta oil lamps were the primary means of artificial lighting. They were usually filled with olive oil and held a wick (linen was the most often used material).
They burned for hours to light up the ancient world. The rich, in their villas, needed hundreds; the poor had only a few.
