"A unique Roman oil lamp in the shape of a theatrical mask has been discovered in Cuijk, the Netherlands. It dates to the 2nd century A.D. and is complete and in excellent condition. The lamp is elaborately decorated with botanical motifs, with a large headdress-like acanthus leaf springing from a scallop shell on the forehead of the wide-eyed and even wider-mouthed mask."
"The mouth serves as the filling hole of the lamp. The neck underneath it (actually the nozzle of the lamp) is edged with a fluted border that narrows and then widens again around the wick aperture. Inspired by the expressive character masks of Greek theater, theatrical masks were common decorative motifs in architecture, art, gravestones and even on everyday utilitarian objects like oil lamps."
"It was discovered in the excavation of what has proven to be the largest Roman cemetery in North Brabant. Only an estimated 15% of the burial ground has been explored, and so far more than 85 graves have been unearthed, many of them containing significant goods, including handled jugs, clay plates, glass bottles and jewelry. The reddish plates are terra sigillata, aka samian ware, a type of fine pottery with a flossy glaze made of iron-rich clay in Gaul."
A unique 2nd-century Roman oil lamp shaped like a theatrical mask is complete and in excellent condition. The mask displays botanical decoration, a large acanthus headdress rising from a scallop shell on the forehead, framed curls, a pronounced nose and heavy brow suggesting a satyr, and a mouth that serves as the filling hole. Theatrical masks were common Roman motifs and could symbolize guiding the deceased to the underworld when placed in graves. The lamp was recovered from the largest Roman cemetery in North Brabant, where over 85 graves and many grave goods including terra sigillata, glass bottles and jewelry have been uncovered; only about 15% of the site has been explored.
Read at www.thehistoryblog.com
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