Ceramic oil lamp

Ceramic oil lamps, made in series using moulds, were the most common type of lighting in the Roman world. The main part of the lamp consisted of a shallow round bowl serving as a fuel chamber. This was covered by a discus, which was frequently decorated. A wide variety of designs were used, from simple decorative patterns to more complex images including various kinds of animals, divinities or scenes from everyday life. The Roman ceramic oil lamp discovered in a first-century cremation grave at the Križišče burial site (named after an ancient Roman crossroads on the road to Ankaran) near Spodnje Škofije has a discus with a relief depiction of a glassblower and his assistant by a glass furnace: an extremely rare design.