Bronze lamp

To date, around 400 lamps from classical antiquity have been found or procured, or are kept in the country. The largest collection is housed in the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Most of these lamps are made out of ceramic, although some made of bronze, precious metals, and glass have been found at archaeological sites all over the ancient world. Only four bronze specimens have been found in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Among them is this particular piece, discovered at Krehin Gradac near Čitluk. 

Visible on the discus of the lamp is the pouring hole with the lid missing. On the back side of the lamp and in the middle of the nozzle there are chain holes for suspension. To the left and right of the base of the nozzle there are decorations in the form of tiny engraved rosettes, and there is a circle in relief on the bottom.

Lamps like this one were produced for everyday use; they provided illumination at night, and without them, social life of any kind after sunset would have been difficult. About half a litre of olive oil was needed for 40 to 50 hours of illumination, and so the use of lamps was restricted to the wealthy class. Lamps such as this one used wicks to draw the oil stored in the fuel chamber as they burnt.