Multiple Lamp Sets

An oil lamp is a simple vessel used to produce light continuously for a period of time from a fuel source. The history of oil lamps extends from prehistory to as late as the 19th century, or even until now in some rural remote communities. more...

Home
A/V Accessories & Cables
DVD & Home Theater
Gadgets & Other Electronics
Heating, Cooling & Air
Home Audio
Lamps, Lighting, Ceiling...
Bathroom Lighting
Ceiling Fans
Ceiling Fixtures
Chandeliers
Children's Lighting
Desk Lamps
Exterior, Landscape Lighting
Floor Lamps
Lava Lamps, Party Lights
Lighting Accessories
Multiple Lamp Sets
Neon Signs
Night Lights
Other Lamps, Lighting
Paper Lanterns
Pendant Lighting
Picture Lights
Recessed Lighting
Sconces, Wall Lamps
String Lights
Table Lamps
Track Lighting
Under Cabinet Lighting
Major Appliances
Outdoor Power Equipment
Satellite, Cable TV
Televisions
Vacuum Cleaners &...

Olive oil lamps continued in wide use in countries around the Mediterranean Sea well into the 19th century, with the lamps being mass produced out of metal (most commonly brass or bronze), but otherwise little changed in design from lamps of some 2,000 years earlier. In 1780 the Argand lamp was invented and quickly replaced the ancient form. It was, in turn, replaced by the kerosene lamp in about 1850. In small towns and rural areas these continued in use well into the 20th century. The light given by an olive oil lamp is significantly brighter than a candle, but significantly less than the Argand lamp or the kerosene or paraffin burning lamp.

Structure & Function

Oil lamps were used not only for lighting, but also for funerary and votive purposes. Lamps were used for domestic purposes in homes and for public purposes in temples and public buildings.

By studying the lamp's designs, symbols, structure and decorations, and the material of which it is made, we can identify the age and perhaps the locality of the lamp. The lamp can also give us insights into the culture of its users and their social status.

Occasionally the design of the lamps also reveal the female reproductive system. Indian bronze lamps with a protruding central portion are supposed to project the male genitalia on a female womb with light representing 'origin of life' in most cases.

Oil lamps were made from a wide variety of media like gold, bronze, silver, stone and terra-cotta. The most commonly used material was fired clay; many terra-cotta and bronze lamps have been unearthed. In most cases, the production and distribution of lamps was local, but in some instances they were produced by factories and exported to different areas.

The usual size of a terra-cotta oil lamp is 7-10 cm in length and 3 cm in depth, with the walls being around 0.5 cm thick. Lamps with more than one nozzle are usually larger in size.

Components

The following are the main external parts of a terra-cotta lamp.

Shoulder; Pouring hole;

The hole through which fuel is put inside the fuel chamber. Its width ranges from 0.5-5 cm in general. There may be single or multiple holes.

Wick hole, and the nozzle.;

It may be just an opening in the body of the lamp, or an elongated nozzle. In some specific types of lamps there is a groove on the superior aspect of the nozzle that runs to the pouring hole to collect back the oozing oil from the wick.

Handle;

Read more at Wikipedia.org