Loeschcke type IX a or Buchi type XI-a lamps, are also known as ‘Firmalampen’, or ‘Factory’ lamps in the UK, and are amongst the most widely discovered oil lamp. Developed in Northern Italy, their influence and use spread across the Northern Provinces of the Roman Empire. Such lamps were mold-made and were significantly more robust than their richly decorated counterparts. The flatter base and levelled discus allowed such lamps to be stacked and easily transported. The nozzle walls were substantially thicker and less delicate. Such features made the Firmalampen a perfect candidate for use as a military lamp, by soldiers living in the Northern provinces of just-occupied territories. Such lamps, with their plain and austere format, were utilitarian in nature, vastly different to the richly decorated discuses of the 1st and 2nd centuries.
To discover more about oil lamps in Antiquity, please visit our relevant blog post: Lighting The Way.
