Hellenistic Amphora Stopper
Clay Amphora Stopper
Amphora jar stopper, probably Hellenistic and dated to the 3rd century BC. It is circular baked clay with a string-cut slightly footed base. It is wheel-made and a pale cream-buff, pinky-buff colour.
Unknown
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
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
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
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
Carthaginian Lamp
Carthaginian Lamp
Lamp dates from 700-500 BCE and appears to be from Carthage. It is a flat open lamp, pinched in two places to form two spouts with no evidence of burning.
Carthage
8th to 6th Century BCE
Modern Lamp
Lamp, Modern Forgery
Lamp composed of very heavy grey baked clay. Its thick fabric and small perforation at the spout make it non-functional, and Hector Williams has determined that it is a fake. It has an African-like face between the hole in the centre and the spout, and is decorated with raised circles and radiating lines on the circumference.
Unknown
Modern
Herodian Terracotta Lamp
Terracotta Lamp
Herodian lamps first appeared at the very end of the 1st century BCE. These types of lamps, typically found in Judea and Jerusalem, are known for the simplicity of their design, as well as their splayed nozzle. The nozzle has often been thought of as an imitation of earlier mould-made Hellenistic lamps. Herodian lamps were wheel-made and rarely carried artistic features, although they sometimes featured very basic geometric ornamentations. Because of their closed shape, they would have allowed for a better containment of oil than open-plated lamps, and would have provided a more efficient burning rate. The wick would have been made from materials such as oakum, papyrus and linen and would sit in the mouth of the lamp. 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 made of a brick-red ceramic fabric, is partially broken and has evidence of burning around the projecting spout. Although unclear whether it is a Herodian lamp or an earlier Late Hellenistic lamp (common throughout the Mediterranean at that time), its circular wick hole in the middle of the body surrounded by a very low ridge and incised line around its circumference, lack of décor and the general shape of the spout suggest a lamp of Herodian nature. Probably from Palestine.
From Stone to Screen
Palestine
From Stone to Screen
Hellenistic or Herodian ( c. 1st century BCE)
Emma Ramsden (Research and Content)
David Assaf (Web Design)
Jessica Matteazzi (Photography)
Chelsea Gardner (Collection Curator)
UBC CNERS
Adan-Bayewitz, D. et al. (2008). Preferential Distribution of lamps from the Jersulaem Area in the Late Second Temple Period (Late First Century B.C.E.- 70 C.E.). Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research 350. 37-85.
Elrasheedy, A. & D. Schindler (2015). Illuminating the Past: Exploring the Function of Ancient Lamps. Near Eastern Archaeology 78. 36-42.
Gardner, G. E. (2014). City of Lights: The Lamps of Roman and Byzantine Jerusalem. Near Eastern Archaeology 77. 284-290.
Smith, R.H. (1961). The “Herodian” Lamp of Palestine: Types and Dates. Berytus 14. 53-65.
Additional Readings:
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.
Djuric, S. (1995). Ancient Lamps from the Mediterranean. North York: Eika Bookselling & Publishing.
Gunneweg, J. & I. Perlman (1985). The Origin of the “Herodian” Lamp. Bulletin of the Anglo-Israel Archaeological Society. 79-83.
Rosenthal, R. & R. Sivan (1978). Ancient Lamps in the Schloessinger Collection. Jerusalem: “Ahva” Press.
Ceramic - Terracotta
Terracotta Lamp
Herodian Terracotta Lamp
Ancient Lamps; Herodian Lamps; Ceramic Lamp Technology
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