Pottery oil-lamp
Roman Britain, 1st century AD
Made in Gaul or Britain; found in London
A scene of gladiators in combat
This lamp is known as a volute-lamp, so called from the form of
the nozzle. Its dark colour is not original, but a result of
accidental burning in antiquity. The scene on the discus is of
gladiatorial combat, a popular subject in Roman decorative art.