"Hellenistic Pottery Oil Lamp Culture / Period: Hellenistic Date / Period: 125 – 25 B.C. Material: Pottery Dimensions: 107 mm Condition: One lug handle (“ear”) missing. Otherwise in good condition with surface wear and deposits consistent with age. No shipping outside the European Union. Due to complex export regulations concerning cultural goods, this item cannot be shipped outside the EU. Please ensure you have a delivery address within the European Union before placing a bid. Provenance information: Object Registration ID: 113 The current owner purchased the object from a private collector, N.N., in Oosterbeek, the Netherlands. The previous owner, a private collector, N.N. from Oosterbeek, stated that the object had been in his collection since 2025. According to the previous owner, the object had previously been part of a private collection in the Netherlands since the 1980s. No further information concerning the earlier ownership history of the object was available from the previous owner. Background Information: This Hellenistic pottery oil lamp dates to approximately 125 – 25 B.C. and represents a characteristic form of domestic lighting used throughout the eastern Mediterranean during the late Hellenistic period. The lamp features a rounded body with a central filling hole, smaller surrounding air holes, a projecting nozzle for the wick, and applied lug handles or “ears” positioned at the sides. The exterior is decorated with a repeating relief motif of stylised leaves or palmettes, adding a decorative element to an otherwise functional household object. Oil lamps of this type were essential items in daily life throughout the Hellenistic world. They provided artificial light in homes, workshops, sanctuaries, and public buildings, typically burning olive oil with a linen or plant-fibre wick. Such lamps became increasingly standardised during the Hellenistic period as mould-made ceramic production techniques allowed workshops to create large quantities of decorated vessels efficiently and consistently. The decorative motifs seen on this example reflect broader artistic traditions of the Hellenistic Mediterranean, where floral and vegetal ornamentation remained popular across ceramics, architecture, and metalwork. Similar lamps have been excavated from archaeological sites across Greece, Asia Minor, the Levant, and Egypt, illustrating the extensive trade and cultural interaction that characterised the Hellenistic period following the conquests of Alexander the Great. Pottery lamps formed part of organised workshop production and circulated widely through regional trade networks. Their practical design evolved over centuries to improve the efficiency of burning oil while reducing smoke and evaporation. The presence of applied side lugs on examples such as this may have assisted handling or suspension and also contributed to the distinctive appearance of Hellenistic lamps. Objects of this kind provide important insight into the domestic realities of the ancient Mediterranean world. This piece forms a tangible connection to antiquity, where ceramic lamps illuminated the homes and daily activities of people living more than two thousand years ago."