Antique lamps

Roman oil lamps

Oil lamps were everywere in Roman antiquity. Of course, candles or pine logs were used, but  oil lamps made ​​of clay found in every household.
Oil lamps are lighting fixtures that are operated with oil as fuel. They were thousands of years an important source of artificial light. Among the Romans, the light earthen donors were a mass product. Some lamp manufacturers stamped their names on the bottoms of the products, these pieces are called firm bulbs. Many oil lamps were decorated. The area of ​​the upper side on which the subject is attached, is called mirror. This is usually the hole for pouring the oil. The wick was in the front projection of the lamp, which is pushed so-called snout.

The fuels used (fats, tallow, oil) are thick, so that they can only rise a few millimeters to a few centimeters in the wick up. If the fuel is running low, a portion of the wick burns. As fuel oil was used , of course you can also use regular lamp oil.

Oil lamps are older than candles. It only provides information on candles for the first Century, but also centuries later candles were still more expensive than oil lamps. Because the average age of trade declined with olive oil, were in use in the countries north of the Alps preferably torches and tallow candles and torches. Candles were often used in the sacral area.

Our oil lamps are made ​​in the traditional way of two-part molds and baked quite high. After drying, the picture lamps typically provided with a slip, a special coating which the lamp, how wonderful in Roman antiquity, can be red, and gives it a decorative surface.
To protect all oil lamps are glazed from the inside.