by Antonia Plummer

Oil lamps of varying levels of complexity have existed since at least 10,000 BC. In our collection we have some gorgeous examples of oil lamps from different places and time periods.

Figure 2 Saucer Oil Lamp.
Photograph taken by Antonia Plummer

This lamp shows a very rudimentary oil lamp design. We’re unsure of the age of this lamp in our collection, but the first example of a Saucer Lamp can be dated back to 2500 BC. This basic lamp would have been made from a clay dish that had been folded in on itself before being fired. It had no handle and a very shallow fuel chamber, but the wick could touch the oil, so it was a functional lamp. Because these lamps were so cheap and easy to make, they were extremely common.

Oil lamps developed, becoming slightly more complex and much more efficient. People began sealing off the fuel chamber to reduce the risk of spilling the oil, making the nozzle more defined to stop the wick from burning up too quickly, and some even began glazing the inside of the fuel chamber to stop the oil from being absorbed into the clay, though none of the lamps in our collection demonstrate that practice.

Figure 3 Hebrew Oil Lamp
Photograph taken by Antonia Plummer

One of the most interesting lamps in our collection is an oil lamp donated to the society by a man named Brigadier Edwards. He brought back the oil lamp from Alexandria when he returned home after the war in 1948. It was originally assumed to be an Egyptian lamp.

While doing some research for a video about our collection of oil lamps on the Objectivity YouTube Channel our team found a website that specialised in making replicas of historical lamps in Jerusalem. They found one that was a very similar shape to our specimen that was listed as a Herodian Oil Lamp, a type made in the 1st century A.D. within the Jewish community. The lamp in our collection would have been made at around 1000 B.C, which is 700 years before Alexandria was built. There are lots of small ports along that part of the coast and around the mouth of the river. They have found evidence of a Hebrew Settlement that existed in that area for a while, so it seems very likely that the Lamp donated to us by Brigadier Edwards was Hebrew rather than Egyptian.

The Hebrew Oil Lamp in our collection has kept a remarkable amount of detail. It shows signs of being buried in the past, but the pattern is still very clear. The pattern on the outside shows a series of olive flowers leading to a dove at the nozzle. These details support the idea that this is a Hebrew oil lamp because doves hold a special significance in Judaism.

In the Old Testament Noah sends a dove to search for dry land after The Flood. It returns carrying an olive leaf, signalling the end of God’s anger with mankind and the promise of a fresh start. Because of this, olives and doves are often used as symbols of peace.

Figure 4 Replica of the Hebrew Oil Lamp. Made by Dan Rhodes.
Photograph taken by Antonia Plummer

Dan Rhodes, a student from the Arts University Bournemouth, took an interest in the Oil Lamp when he was visiting the museum, looking for a model making project. He made us a replica that has been scaled up 1.5X so that we can really see the details of the pattern. This replica was made out of resin instead of clay like the original.

Many cultures use light as a representation of all things good and holy. Oil lamps were often placed in shrines or used as a source of good luck. This may be to do with the potential danger of the dark and the unknown. Because of this association oil lamps are often shaped like other objects that symbolise luck.

Figure 5 Hebrew Oil Lamp (view from above).
Photograph taken by Antonia Plummer

This oil lamp is shaped like a turtle. The handle forms the turtle’s head, and the fuel chamber forms the shell.

In this part of Egypt, where Alexandria would one day be built, the community would drink and wash in the river. They needed a way to know if it was safe to go in the water, or if there were crocodiles lurking nearby. Turtles became a symbol of good luck because if you could see turtles swimming in the river, you knew there were no crocodiles, and it was safe to enter the water.

Figure 6 Songbird Oil Lamp.
Photograph taken by Antonia Plummer

This lamp is from Herculaneum (1st Century AD). It was shaped like a songbird, which was another symbol of good luck. Unlike the turtle, it wasn’t a symbol of safety. In this instance, the song of a songbird gave hope for the day to come. When you hear birds in the morning you know it’s nice weather, it’s a good start to the day. The design on the top of the lamp is of the Goddess Europa, sitting on a bull and holding a banner above her head. She was the daughter of either Phoenix, the son of King Amyntor, or Agenor, a King of Phoenicia. Her beauty attracted Zeus, who took the shape of a white bull and carried her from Phoenicia to Crete.

Figure 7 Snake Oil Lamp.
Photograph taken by Antonia Plummer

This is a Greco-Egyptian oil lamp made in Alexandria in the 2nd – 1st century BC. The design of this lamp is also intended to be a good luck symbol, although for slightly less obvious reasons. It’s shaped like a snake with its head and tail sticking out of a jar. At the time this lamp was made snake charmers acted as fortune tellers. They would tell you if you would have good luck or bad luck based on the way the snakes would react to their music. If the snake had a bad reaction and spat at you it was a sign you’d have bad luck, but if the snake reacted well to the vibrations of the music it meant you’d have good luck.