In Ancient Roman mythology and culture Sol Invictus, which literally means ‘unconquered sun’, was the official sun god of the later Roman Empire and a patron of soldiers. The goddess Luna was the divine embodiment of the Moon, her Greek equivalent was Selene.
This lamp falls into a distinct group, labelled as Bussière form D X 5. Their distinctive feature is a shoulder decorated with alternating vine leaves and grapes, often in deep relief.The shoulder form is categorised as Loeschcke form VII a. Both labels are taken from the lynchologists that have categorised them.
The stamp on the reverse is a common feature on African lamps of this type and gives a more precise dating, based on the time of manufacture of the workshop. An example has also been found of an Italic lamp with the same stamp, insinuating that there may have been two workshops.
