A Byzantine Oil Lamp, ancient Pottery. 330 AD.

Size: 10x7cm. 3.9x2.7 inch. 

 Oil lanterns were slipper-shaped and highly decorative. The multiple-nozzle design continued and most lamps bore handles. Some are complex in their external anatomy.

Pottery oil lamps were made in three different ways. They could be handmade, wheel-made, or made by mold. The use of molds became increasingly popular but again consisted of two different methods. Once made, mold could be used to create many lamps, which meant that lamps could be easily and directly reproduced. This also ensured that the manufacturing of lamps could be extremely efficient and organized, producing large volumes of goods with standardized quality.