During the Roman Empire, a lamp was originally called a ‘lychnus’, from the Greek ‘λυχνος’, with the oldest Roman lamps dating back to the third century BC. It is thought that the Romans took the idea for lamps from the Greek colonies of Southern Italy. During the Roman Empire, it became commonplace to use lamps in funeral ceremonies and for public purposes. Over time, the manufacture of lamps increased, and so did the variation in decoration, which depended mainly on the shape and size of the lamp. Common decorative themes depicted on the discus were entertainment scenes (such as gladiators in combat), common myths, and animals. Pottery oil lamps could be made in three different ways: handmade, wheel made, or by mould. The use of the mould (which was made from clay or plaster) quickly became popular, because one mould could produce several lamps.
The Roman military started during the Roman Republic through to the Roman Empire spanning across 2206 years. It was thought that, at its peak, there were 45 to 120 million people in the army. The army was very well organised, each legion consisted of 5000 men which were split into different groups to achieve multiple tasks. The army did not only consist of just Roman people. As the empire expanded and regions were conquered, more diversity was seen within the legions. This is shown within this fine example as there is equipment from multiple cultures including Celts, Greeks and Thracians.
To discover more about oil lamps in Antiquity, please visit our relevant blog post: Lighting The Way.
