Oil lamp depicting chariot with driver and two horses

Date1st century

MediumTerra-cotta

Dimensions3 3/4 × 3 inches (9.5 × 7.6 cm)

CultureRoman Empire, Syria

ClassificationsCeramics

Credit LineTransferred from University Collections

Terms

Suriyah
Ceramics
Terracotta
Syrian (?)

Object number74.074.044

Label CopyThis lamp depicts Luna, the goddess of the moon, driving a chariot pulled by two horses. Before a final firing in the kiln, lamps were dipped in a clay slip to refine their color and smoothness. When potters dipped a lamp, they would hold it by its base so that the slip would cover the lamp as evenly as possible. However, some were less careful than others and left large fingerprints—still visible today, as here.

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