Antiquities Discussion Forums > Oil Lamps
Value of oil lamps
(1/1)
Reid Goldsborough:
Anybody know the relative value in ancient Greece during archaic or classical times of a common oil lamp in relation to a common foodstuff, such as a tunny fish, a hare, or a goose? In other words, how many oil lamps would one tunny fish be worth, or conversely, how many tunny fish would one oil lamp be worth? Roughly.
Strobilus:
This is an aspect of ancient lamps that is indeed fascinating - how the objects related to their social context rather than merely identifying the objects themselves. I certainly remember reading research into the relative contemporary value of lamps from at least one region during Roman times - and I'm sure there is similar research relating to the era of Classical Greece too (very possibly in Howland or Broneer) - but sadly I cannot remember the details. Most of my books, archives and research material are in storage at present and inaccessible so I don't even have the chance to refresh my memory at the moment!
Certainly, basic pottery lamps, apparently used for votive purposes and numbering literally in their thousands, have been found buried in pits at temple sites in Greece - suggesting they were extremely cheap - but that's all a bit vaguer than the info you really want. If I come across anything a bit more specific I'll post it here.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
Go to full version