ITEM: Oil lamp, Type Kennedy 1, Group C
MATERIAL: Pottery
CULTURE: Bronze Age
PERIOD: 1300 - 586 B.C
DIMENSIONS: 37 mm x 140 mm x 136 mm
CONDITION: Good condition
PROVENANCE: Ex French private collection, acquired before 1990s

Comes with Certificate of Authenticity and Export Licence. If you are from outside the European Union, we will have to apply for the export licence again for your country, this takes 3 to 5 weeks and has a cost of 5% of the hammer price, this amount will be added to the final invoice.

Bronze Age oil lamps were among the earliest devices used for illumination, appearing as early as the third millennium BCE across various regions including the Near East, Aegean, and Mediterranean. Made primarily of clay or stone, these lamps were simple in design, typically consisting of a shallow bowl or saucer with a pinched rim to hold a wick. This basic form allowed oil to pool in the lamp’s basin, and when a wick—usually made from plant fibers or twisted cloth—was inserted, it could be lit to provide a small, steady flame. These lamps were fueled by animal fats or plant oils, such as olive oil, which was abundant in Mediterranean regions. The accessibility and practicality of these lamps made them essential household items in Bronze Age settlements.

The design of Bronze Age oil lamps varied slightly depending on cultural influences and resources available in specific regions. In the Levant and Mesopotamia, for example, lamps were often plain, functional vessels made from readily available clay, with minimal decoration. In Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations, however, some lamps were more refined and occasionally decorated with simple incised or painted patterns. As metalworking advanced during the Bronze Age, a small number of lamps were also made from bronze, though these were likely reserved for ceremonial or elite use due to the value of the material. Despite their modest appearance, these lamps held cultural significance and were sometimes used in ritual contexts, indicating their role in both daily life and spiritual practices.