In Antiquity, a lamp was originally called a ‘lychnus‘, from the Greek ‘λυχνος’. Pottery oil lamps could be made in three different ways: handmade, wheel made, or by mould. Lamps such as this were wheel-made and so decoration tended to be minimal and the design was intended to be functional rather than decorative. Lamps continue to be made in this way until the invention of the mould – which allowed for greater creativity amongst lamp makers.
To discover more about oil lamps in Antiquity, please visit our relevant blog post: Lighting The Way.
