Object Description
A Roman terracotta oil lamp featuring an elongated oval body and a circular, decorated discus. Within the centre is a large ‘staurogram’, formed from an intersecting Greek ‘rho’ over a ‘tau’ or ‘T’. The result is an imposing cross motif. The Greek term ‘stauros’ (σταυρός) translates as ‘cross’. Flanking the staurogram are two air holes, with a larger burn hole at the end of the nozzle. The shoulders are decorated with a stylised palm-leaf motif. A raised ridge surrounds the discuss, which continues around the large nozzle hole to form a broad canal and divides the shoulders and discus. A solid lug handle sits at the top of the lamp. The base is supported with a ring foot with a concentric circular motif at the centre.
This lamp is classified as Atlante X; Hayes II A.
Date: Circa 5th-6th Century AD