Bull's Head Lamp at The British Museum, London

myminifactory

Lamps originated in ancient lands from the Bronze Age forward. They were used throughout homes, shops, public buildings such as temples and bathhouses; lamps were carried in processions, dedicated at shrines and placed in tombs. Ancient lamps were crafted in terracotta, metal, stone and glass. From Minoan times until about the 7th century BC, open bowls with a wick-rest at the rim were used commonly. Terracotta lamps were produced on wheels until the 3rd century BC, when the first mouldmade lamps emerged in Greek lands. Thereafter most classical lamps were mass-produced in moulds until the Arab conquests of the 7th century AD; lamp workshops existed in nearly every town. Bronze lamps, made as one-off objects by the lost-wax process, could be very simple or extremely complex. Conical glass lamps from late Roman times, with floating wicks, were suspended in holders. This object is part of "Scan The World". Scan the World is a non-profit initiative introduced by MyMiniFactory, through which we are creating a digital archive of fully 3D printable sculptures, artworks and landmarks from across the globe for the public to access freely. Scan the World is an open source, community effort; if you have interesting items around you and would like to contribute, email stw@myminifactory.com to find out how you can assist. Scanned: Photogrammetry (Processed using Agisoft PhotoScan)