Object Description
A Roman, moulded, terracotta ‘plastic’ lamp of a standing woman. The unusual lamp features a columnar projection that curves at the top into the elegant head of a swan. A natural hole formed between the curve of the swan’s neck acts as a suspension hole. The base of the column rests on a small chamber, which would have been used to house the oil. The chamber ends with a thick-set burn hole and rests on a flattened base. To the right of the column stands an elegantly, draped female figure, her right arm raised and leaning against the supporting pillar. Her clothing is distinct, with a flowing peplos covering her body, the rippling fabric indicated through the use of incised linear lines. On her head she wears a conical cap, possibly identifiying the figure as Bendis, a Thracian goddess associated with hunting and the moon.
Date: Circa 2nd century AD