This lamp, possibly from Petra in Jordan, probably dates to the first century C.E. Made from an orange clay with traces of a dark slip, this lamp has a closed, circular body. A defining feature is the protruding, spout-like nozzle which channeled the flame from the wick, as is evident by dark residue around the tip. In the center of the body, the clay rises and then recesses, forming a hole in the crater. Attached to this raised center is a small loop handle, decorated with three bands.

Comparanda:

Ontario Royal Museum inv. no. 910.166.27 (Robertson, W.B. Ancient Lamps in the Ontario Royal Museum. Toronto: Royal Ontario Museum, 1980, pg. 12, Plate 5, Fig. 41)

Ontario Royal Museum inv. no. 916.1.378 (Ancient Lamps in the Ontario Royal Museum, 1980, pg. 129, Plate 58, Fig. 521)

For a lamp with a similar body in the RomQ Reference Collection, see http://www.romulus2.com/lamps/database/lamp.php?59

For a lamp with a similar central crater with attached handle in the RomQ Reference Collection, see http://www.romulus2.com/lamps/database/lamp.php?121

Research by Amy Nicholas, '11