Oil Lamp

This lamp displays features of more than one period. On the basis of the attached cross, it is tempting to classify the lamp as an early Byzantine product. The form of the lamp, however, shares nothing in common with surviving early Christian examples. Instead, parallels for its shape and features can be found among lamps of the Hellenistic east. In addition, most bronze lamps were supplied with lids which always fit over the lip of the fill hole, covering the opening completely. It is clear that the cross attached to the Smart Museum lamp is not a functional lid, since it does not cover the fill hole when closed. The loop at either end indicates that the cross was originally attached to something on either side and most likely served as a link in a decorative chain. It appears, then, that the cross was added in later times to a Hellenistic lamp.