This lamp, from near Petra in Jordan, was acquired by Gertrude Howland in 1963 and donated to the Ancient World Gallery in 2008. Made from a brownish clay, this lamp is thought to be from around the third to first century B.C.E. It has a circular body which merges into a long, slender nozzle, pierced at the tip. In the center of the body is a recessed hole, and faint lines radiate from the center. A horizontal line is apparent, dividing the lamp into a top and bottom section. This is evidence that the lamp was made from a mold. The nozzle was restored by Gertrude Howland.

Comparanda:

Ontario Royal Museum inv. no. 910.114.97 (Robertson, W.B. Ancient Lamps in the Ontario Royal Museum. Toronto: Royal Ontario Museum, 1980, pg. 17, Plate 8, Fig. 64)

Ontario Royal Museum inv. no. 910.114.404 (Robertson, W.B. Ancient Lamps in the Ontario Royal Museum. Toronto: Royal Ontario Museum, 1980, pg. 18, Plate 8, Fig. 68)

For similar shapes in the ROMQ Reference Collection, see http://www.romulus2.com/lamps/database/lamp.php?13 and http://www.romulus2.com/lamps/database/lamp.php?15

Research by Amy Nicholas, '11