Roman North African Lamp (2)
Roman North African Clay Lamp
Roman lamps are a type of closed lamp, typically topped with concave disk. Derived from Hellenistic prototypes, these Roman closed lamps offer a number of advantages over open ones. They allow a better containment of oil, and have a more efficient burning rate than open lamps. On one end lies the handle, while the other featured a spout, with an open mouth. The wick, made from materials such as oakum, would have sat in the mouth of the lamp, and run all the way down the base. The fuel would most likely have been made from olive oil and/or animal fat. On average, these lamps would burn for a period of 50-70 minutes.
This Roman lamp dates to the 3rd century BCE from North Africa. Roman North African lamps were a widely distributed throughout the Mediterranean, found in Egypt, Tunisia and a vast majority in Carthage. This lamp is made up of Tunisian is pinky-buff-coloured fabric and incised with two leaves on its top, most likely victory leaves (the 'palms of Victory'). There are two filling wholes on top, one in the direction of the spout, and the other slight off-centre. The vertical lug handle is solid, and the spout (now missing) is decorated at its base with a bar and two dots. A section of the base is also missing. Its early date suggests close ties to a Hellenistic predecessor and is further accentuated by the small holes present at the base of the spout, a common feature of Hellenistic lamps. Their function could have been a means to access the wick with a needle to help intensify or regulate the flame, or to create airflow to help stimulate combustion. Considering its date, this lamp was most likely fabricated through manual moulding, as pre-made moulds did not come into popular use until the 2nd century BCE onwards.
From Stone to Screen
North Africa
From Stone to Screen
Roman - 3rd century CE
Emma Ramsden (Research and Content)
David Assaf (Web Design)
Jessica Matteazzi (Photography)
Chelsea Gardner (Collection Curator)
UBC CNERS
Djuric, S. (1995). Ancient Lamps from the Mediterranean. North York: Eika Bookselling & Publishing.
Elrasheedy, A. & D. Schindler (2015). Illuminating the Past: Exploring the Function of Ancient Lamps. Near Eastern Archaeology 78. 36-42.
Pereira, C. (2014). Roman Lamps of Scallabis (Santarém, Portugal). British Archaeological Reports International Series 2627. Oxford: Information Press.
Rosenthal, R. & R. Sivan (1978). Ancient Lamps in the Schloessinger Collection. Jerusalem: “Ahva” Press.
Szentléleky, T. (1969). Ancient Lamps. transl. by A. Debreceni. Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó.
Additional Reading:
Bailey, D.M. (1996). A Catalogue of the Lamps in the British Museum (vol. 4): Lamps of Metal and Stone, and Lampstands. London: British Museum Press.
Bailey, D.M. (1972). Greek and Roman Pottery Lamps. London: British Museum Press.
Perlzweig, J. (1961). Lamps of the Roman Period: First to Seventh Century After Christ. Germany: J.J. Augustin Gluckstadt
Zhuravlev, D. ed. (2002). Fire, Light and Light Equipment in the Graeco-Roman World. British Archaeological Reports International Series 1019. Oxford: The Basingstoke Press.
Ceramic - Terracotta
Ceramic Lamp
Roman Lamp
Roman North Africa; Ceramic Technology; Roman Lamps
Roman North African Lamp (1)
Roman North African Clay Lamp
Roman lamps, derived from Hellenistic prototypes, are closed lamps which were typically topped with a concave disk. On one end lies the handle, and the other side features a spout, with an open mouth, where the wick sits. These types of lamps allow for a better containment of oil, and a more efficient burning rate than open lamps. The wick, made from materials such as oakum, papyrus and linen, would sit in the mouth of the lamp, and ran all the way down the base. The fuel would most likely have been made from olive oil and/or animal fat. On average, these lamps would produce a flame for 50-70 minutes.
This lamp is a Roman North African lamp, a type that was distributed widely throughout the Mediterranean, and found in many places, with the greatest number in Carthage. Typically, these lamps have relief decoration on the discus, with relief patterns below either a pierced or a stump-handle. This specific Roman lamp has a pinky-buff colour, and has an impressed line pattern on the discus. Its base is outlined with two circles, and may contain a signature. It also has evidence of use with burn marks in its spout and the spout is slightly broken. There are two holes in the middle and a moulded design of radiating lines around the circumference. The base is outlined with two incised circles and may have a signature.
From Stone to Screen
North Africa
From Stone to Screen
Roman
Emma Ramsden (Research and Content)
David Assaf (Web Design)
Jessica Matteazzi (Photography)
Chelsea Gardner (Collection Curator)
UBC CNERS
Djuric, S. (1995). Ancient Lamps from the Mediterranean. North York: Eika Bookselling & Publishing.
Elrasheedy, A. & D. Schindler (2015). Illuminating the Past: Exploring the Function of Ancient Lamps. Near Eastern Archaeology 78. 36-42.
Pereira, C. (2014). Roman Lamps of Scallabis (Santarém, Portugal). British Archaeological Reports International Series 2627. Oxford: Information Press.
Rosenthal, R. & R. Sivan (1978). Ancient Lamps in the Schloessinger Collection. Jerusalem: “Ahva” Press.
Additional Reading:
Bailey, D.M. (1996). A Catalogue of the Lamps in the British Museum (vol. 4): Lamps of Metal and Stone, and Lampstands. London: British Museum Press.
Bailey, D.M. (1972). Greek and Roman Pottery Lamps. London: British Museum Press.
Perlzweig, J. (1961). Lamps of the Roman Period: First to Seventh Century After Christ. Germany: J.J. Augustin Gluckstadt
Szentléleky, T. (1969). Ancient Lamps. transl. by A. Debreceni. Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó.
Zhuravlev, D. ed. (2002). Fire, Light and Light Equipment in the Graeco-Roman World. British Archaeological Reports International Series 1019. Oxford: The Basingstoke Press.
Ceramic - Terracotta
Ceramic Lamp
Roman Lamp
Roman North Africa; Ceramic Technology; Roman Lamps
Medieval Lamp
Glazed Lamp
Lamp with a green-turquoise glaze, Medieval in date from either North Africa or Palestine. It is a small open lamp with a pinched spout that has evidence of burning and a long horizontal handle that is partially preserved.
Palestine/North Africa
Medieval
Hellenistic Jug
Clay Jug
Jug from Hellenistic North Africa in a Greek shape with Greek style decoration of red-brown horizontal bands on the body, rim, and handle. The jug has a strap handle between the rim and shoulder, and a cardboard tag labled “Cimetière de l’Areg Ez Rhazouani, IIe B.C. (Cap Bon).”
North Africa
Hellenistic
Roman Vaulting Tube (tubi fittili)
Clay Vaulting Tube
Vaulting tubes (tubi fittili) are hollow terracotta tubes which were employed in Roman architecture to construct the framework of a vault, an arched structure which formed the ceiling of a room. Vaulting tubes were used primarily between the 2nd and 7th centuries C.E., often in the construction of bathhouses and major churches throughout the Roman Empire. They are found predominantly in North Africa, though examples have also been found in Sicily, Italy, Spain and Britain, as well as in shipwrecks throughout the Mediterranean.
The vaulting tube featured here is open at both ends, with one end narrowing to form a nozzle-like projection. This nozzle would be slotted into the open end of an adjacent tube, thus enabling the tube to interlock with its neighbour. The tubes would be mortared together one at a time from each side of a room, set at a slight angle to one another in order to form an arch over the room to be spanned. When the line of vaulting tubes was set into position, the tubes would be connected by a ‘keystone’ tube, open at both ends, at the crown of the arch. Once this arch was completed, the procedure would be repeated with the other vaulting tubes in order to create a vault over the entire room. The vaulting tubes created a framework for the arch of a vault, and were not meant to be visible once construction was completed. A layer of mortared rubble caementa would be poured upon the outside of the vault, and the underside of the tubes would be rendered invisible with the use of plaster. This vaulting tube features a lightly corrugated surface, likely made by a potter’s fingers while the tube was being fashioned upon the wheel. The corrugation may have served to improve the adherence of the vaulting tubes to the mortar which encased them.
The advantage of using vaulting tubes was that they provided a fast and efficient method of building a durable, light-weight vault. Traditional Roman construction methods required substantial wooden centring and scaffolding, but vaulting tubes could be rapidly produced by potters and could be erected with minimal support. As a result, vaulting tubes were an especially appealing method in areas with little timber to spare for construction.
From Stone to Screen
North Africa - probable.
From Stone to Screen
Roman Imperial Period (2nd-7th centuries CE)
Chloe Martin-Cabanne (Research and Content)
David Assaf (Web Design)
Jessica Matteazzi (Photography)
Chelsea Gardner (Collection Curator)
UBC CNERS
Sources
Bound, M. (1987). Tubi fittili (vaulting tubes) from the sea—the Roman wreck at Punta del Fenaio, Island of Giglio. The International Journal of Nautical Archaeology and underwater Exploration. 16. 187-200.
Lancaster, L. (2009). Terracotta vaulting tubes in Roman architecture: a case study of the interrelationship between technologies and trade in the Mediterranean. Construction History. 24. 3-18.
Vann, R. (1993). Vaulting tubes from Caesarea Maritima. Israel Exploration Journal, 43. 29-34.
Whitehouse, D. (1988). Comment on ‘Tubi fittili (vaulting tubes) from the sea—the Roman wreck at Punta del Fenaio, Island of Giglio’. The International Journal of Nautical Archaeology and underwater Exploration. 17. 197-200.
Wilson, R. J. A. (1992). Terracotta vaulting tubes (tubi fittili): on their origin and distribution. Journal of Roman Archaeology 5. 97-129.
Other Useful Sources:
Allen, H. L. (1974). Excavations at Morgantina (Serra Orlando). 1970-1972: Preliminary Report XI. American Journal of Archaeology 78. 361-383.
Kostof, S. (1965). The Orthodox Baptistry of Ravenna. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Lancaster, L. (2005). Concrete vaulted construction in Imperial Rome: Innovations in context. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Mason, D. J. P. (1990). The Use of Earthenware Tubes in Roman Vault Construction: An Example from Chester. Britannia 21. 215-222.
Wilson, R. J. A. (1979). Brick and tiles in Roman Sicily. In A. McWhirr (ed.) Roman brick and tile: studies in manufacture, distribution and use in the Western Empire. Oxford, UK: British Archaeological Reports. 11-44.
Wilson, R. J. A. (1983). Piazza Armerina. London, UK: Granada Publishing. See p. 23 and 25.
Zienkiewicz, J. (1986). The Legionary Fortress Baths at Caerleon (Vol. I). Gloucester, UK: Alan Sutton Publishing. See p. 105-6 and 334-36.
Ceramic - Terracotta
Ceramic Technology
Roman Vaulting Tube
Roman Construction Techniques; Roman North Africa; Ceramic Technology
Late Hellenistic/Roman Unguentaria
Clay Unguentaria
Unguentaria from either Palestine or North Africa that is pinky-red in colour with red-painted bands on the shoulder. The groves from its wheel-throwing are visible, and it dates to either the Late Hellenistic or Roman period.
Palestine/North Africa
Late Hellenistic/Roman
Late Hellenistic/Roman Unguentaria
Clay Unguentaria
Unguentaria from either Palestine or North Africa that is pinky-red in colour with red-painted bands on the shoulder. The grooves from its wheel-throwing are visible, and it dates to either the Late Hellenistic or Roman period. This vessel almost certainly has the same provenance as Unguentaria, object 11.
Palestine/North Africa
Late Hellenistic/Roman
Roman Red Slip Bowl
Slipped Clay Bowl
Bowl with footed base from North Africa and Roman in date. The interior is coated in red paint up to the flat rim, and the exterior is covered half way down from the rim in a band of red paint. The bottom half is undecorated.
From Stone to Screen
North Africa
From Stone to Screen
Roman
David Assaf (Web Design)
Jessica Matteazzi (Photography)
Chelsea Gardner (Collection Curator)
Mark Penney (Content/Research)
UBC CNERS
Relevant Bibliography
Books
Bonifay, M. (2007). LRCW 2: Late Roman coarse wares, cooking wares and amphorae in the Mediterranean : Archaeology and archaeometry. Oxford: Archaeopress.
Burford, A. (1972). Craftsmen in Greek and Roman society. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press.
Charleston, R. (1955). Roman pottery, London: Faber and Faber.
Very fine and extensive selection of photographs – some colour, some B&W.
Esparraguera, J. (2005). LRCW I: Late Roman coarse wares, cooking wares and amphorae in the Mediterranean : Archaeology and archaeometry. Oxford, England: Archaeopress.
Green, K. (1990). The Archaeology of the Roman Economy. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press.
Greene, K. (1992). Roman pottery. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Full Book is available online:
http://books.google.ca/books?id=NCJ6nruZ4nEC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ViewAPI&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false
Hayes, J. (1997). Handbook of Mediterranean Roman pottery. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press.
Dedicated section on African redslip wares (p. 59-64).
Hayes, J. (1972). Late Roman pottery, London: British School at Rome.
Hayes, J. (1976). Roman pottery in the Royal Ontario Museum: A catalogue. Toronto: Royal Ontario Museum.
McGeough, K. (2004). The Romans: new perspectives. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO.
Pottery is included in Chapter 9 (p. 229-232).
Good primer on the basics of classifying roman pottery for students.
Menchelli, S. (2010). LRCW3: Late Roman coarse wares, cooking wares and amphorae in the Mediterranean : Archaeology and archaeometry : Comparison between western and eastern Mediterranean. Oxford: Archaeopress.
Peacock, D. (1982). Pottery in the Roman world: An ethnoarchaeological approach. London: Longman.
Broad overview with archaeological and ethnographic details.
Peacock, D. (1977). Pottery and early commerce: Characterization and trade in Roman and later ceramics. London: Academic Press.
Detailed archaeological and scientific information.
Peña, J. (2007). Roman pottery in the archaeological record. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Extensive bibliography useful for researchers looking for more specific information.
Full Book is available online:
http://lib.myilibrary.com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/Open.aspx?id=90971
Reynolds, P. (1995). Trade in the Western Mediterranean, AD 400-700--the ceramic evidence. Oxford, England: Tempus Reparatum.
Detailed archaeological information on the late Roman world. Chapter 2 (p. 5-37) fine wares; Chapter 4 (p. 86-105) coarse wares; Chapter 5 (p. 106-141) trade and economic information.
Extensive appendices with detailed archaeological information.
Rice, P. (2005). Pottery analysis: A sourcebook. Chicago, Ill.: University of Chicago Press.
Strong, D., & Brown, D. (1976). Roman crafts. New York: New York Univ. Pr.
Many illustrations, mostly B&W.
Chapter 6 (p. 75-92 for pottery).
Articles
Leitch, V. (2012). Rome Scholarships: Roman African cook-wares in the Mediterranean: Production and distribution. Papers of the British School at Rome, 80, 345-346.
Leitch, V. (2013). Reconstructing history through pottery: The contribution of Roman N African cookwares. Journal of Roman Archaeology, 26, 281-306.
Sherriff, B. (2002). A Mössbauer study of the color of Roman pottery from the Leptiminus archaeological site, Tunisia. Geoarchaeology, 17(8), 863-874.
Sherriff, B., Court, P., Johnston, S., & Stirling, L. (2002). The source of raw materials for Roman pottery from Leptiminus, Tunisia. Geoarchaeology, 17(8), 835-861.
Tomber, Roberta. "Alive and well: the state of Roman pottery studies." Antiquity 80, no. 307 (March 2006): 218-220.
Ceramic
Ceramic Bowl
Roman Red Slip Bowl
Roman North Africa; Ceramics