Oil lamp 1

[kitov]

id and value of oil lamp
regards

[Strobilus]

Your lamp was almost certainly made in the Roman province of Africa Proconsularis (modern Tunisia) during the mid to late 2nd century AD. Lamps of this type are frequently marked with the maker's name on the base. There appears to be a mark on yours but I cannot make it out from your image.

I cannot comment on value.

[Joe Sermarini]

We generally do not discuss values here.  The intent is to keep the conversations focused on the more interesting aspects of coins and antiquities, rather than dull commerce.

[kitov]

Thanks Mr.Strobilus.Maybe this lamp was produced in the Balkans? Mark on the base is not.2-3 century AD ? OK ?.

[Joe Sermarini]

Strobilus said, "almost certainly made in the Roman province of Africa Proconsularis (modern Tunisia) during the mid to late 2nd century AD."  The lamp is a very well known North African type.  Copies were made elsewhere but were usually not a nice because they were made by less skilled shops. Another lamp (from Africa) was usually used to make the mold and thus the copies have less detail.   Copies were also made with different local clay.   

[Strobilus]

Thanks Mr.Strobilus.Maybe this lamp was produced in the Balkans? Mark on the base is not.2-3 century AD ? OK ?.

Ah! The dangers of making a snap attribution based only on photographs and without any indication of size!

I suspect from your username that you are Bulgarian and that this lamp was found locally? This lamp could indeed be a local copy of a type typically associated with North Africa.

The type appears to have originated in Italy in the very early 2nd century AD but production soon shifted mainly to North Africa and they were exported in huge numbers from there. By the middle of the century, the style was being copied and similar lamps were being made elsewhere.

It is very difficult to be certain from your images but the fabric of your own lamp is by no means inconsistent with other lamps found in the Balkans. The crudeness and proportions of the shoulder and nozzle also suggest that the lamp may well have been made there. Balkan copies are less frequently marked than the North African lamps.

Balkan copies of the North African type also tend to be somewhat smaller than the originals and it would be interesting to know the size of your lamp.  

If this is indeed a copy made in the Balkans (and I now suspect it is), it may have been made contemporaneously with the North African examples - second half of the 2nd century - but production continued somewhat later in that region - into the first half of the 3rd century.

[kitov]

Thanks Mr. Strobilus.

[Joe Sermarini]

Much nicer photos!

[Strobilus]

Thank you for the new photos. I am convinced your lamp is likely to have been made in the Balkans. Similar lamps of this size were also made elsewhere (e.g. Western Asia Minor and Egypt) but the fabric of your example does seem to indicate a Balkans origin.