Gerulata: The Lamps - A Survey of Roman Lamps in Pannonia

For the ancient Romans, lamps were more than just a way to be able to see in the dark—they were mythical muses, witnesses to secrets, and instruments of the supernatural. Far more familiar to the average Roman than the high art of mosaics, statues, or frescos, lamps created the atmosphere of day-to-day life in the homes, workshops, and public houses of Roman provincial towns. This catalog brings together for the first time the 210 ancient lamps excavated since 1949 in Bratislava-Rusovce, a suburb of the capital of Slovakia and the site of the ancient Roman settlement of Gerulata. What may appear at first glance as a standard panoply of Roman lamps is comprehensively examined to uncover signs of wear and use, unique personal inscriptions, and exceptional forms. This book reveals the stunning wealth of knowledge that can be gained from the study of lighting devices in this liminal settlement on the tough northern frontier of the Roman Empire. What should a catalogue of archaeological material contain? This book is a comprehensive index of 210 lamps from the Roman fort of Gerulata (present-day Bratislava-Rusovce, Slovakia) and its adjoining civilian settlement. The lamps were excavated during the last 50 years from the houses, cemeteries, barracks and fortifications of this Roman outpost on the Limes Romanus and span almost three centuries from AD 80 to AD 350. For the first time, they are published in full and in color with detailed analysis of lamp types, workshop marks and discus scenes. Roman lamps were a distinctive form of interior lighting that burned liquid fuel seeped through a wick to create a controlled flame. Relief decorations have made them appealing objects of minor art in modern collections, but lamps were far more than that – with a distribution network spanning three continents, made by a multitude of producers and brands, with their religious imagery depicting forms of worship, and as symbols of study and learning, Roman lamps are an effective tool that can be used by the modern scholar to discover the ancient economy, culture, craft organization and Roman provincial life. For the ancient Romans, lamps were more than just a way to be able to see in the dark - they were mythical muses, witnesses to secrets, and instruments of the supernatural. This catalog brings together 210 ancient lamps excavated since 1949 in Bratislava-Rusovce. It deals with lighting devices of the Roman Empire.