Turn the light on: features related to the Roman lamps’ lighting

The relationship between lamps and fire has too often been taken for granted rather than critically examined. Research has largely focused on the morphology, iconography, epigraphy, production and trade of lamps, while paying less attention to their function and their relationship with fire. Yet classical literature provides valuable evidence for the association of lamp flames with both gods and humans in Antiquity, offering insights that the archaeological record alone rarely reveals. Understanding how people used, perceived and ritualised artificial light requires a multisource approach that integrates textual, archaeological and iconographic evidence. Artificial light was far more than a practical necessity. In the Roman world, fire permeated nearly every domain of life, serving both everyday activities and religious practice. Lamp flames embodied a striking duality: they could sustain life or cause destruction, illuminate domestic spaces or accompany the divine, acting as both witnesses and agents of human experience. Their light was simultaneously functional, symbolic and protective. Recognising this complexity broadens our understanding of lamps beyond their material form, reminding us that these artefacts cannot be separated from the flames they once held. When we study lamps, we are also studying the light that illuminated the gods and people in Antiquity.