Various techniques were used to illuminate domestic structures at EBII Arad (3000-2880 BCE) and its enclaves and outposts in southern Sinai. The dwellings were constructed in a manner that required ...some form of illumination on overcast days and at night. The residents had three options for lighting the interior of their dwellings: first, sunlight streaming through an open door was the most efficient means of illumination as it did not require the expenditure of fuel; second, the flint “stoves” that were used for cooking provided a certain amount of light; third, lamp-bowls fueled with olive oil were used to illuminate many broadroom dwellings at Arad, but not those in southern Sinai. Lamp-bowls were not used in the latter region because the fuel had to be imported and the amount of light cast by these devices was equivalent to a candle. In this context, hearths were a more appropriate form of illumination as there was a ready supply of firewood in southern Sinai. Lastly, burning olive oil in intact vessels to provide artificial illumination was an act of conspicuous consumption practiced by elites.
The subject of the study is an anthropomorphic bronze candelabrum that was acquired by the Amasra Museum through purchasing. The candelabrum, a large multi-armed candelabra used to carry oil lamps ...during the Roman period, is made up of a plate in which the lamp is placed and a leg that raises it off the ground. There is a figure of a small child on the anthropomorphic candelabrum preserved in the Amasra Museum. This elaborated and highlighted in four directions child figure holds an important place in that it contains one of the most beautiful examples of Roman plastic art. The purpose of use, current situation, and general features of the candelabrum were emphasized within the scope of the study, and it was then evaluated in detail in terms of Roman plastic style and typology, as well as production technique. As a result of the study, the comparison of the candelabrum with similar examples was made, considering the figure feature and production technique, it was stated that it was produced at the end of the 2nd century AD and the beginning of the 3rd century AD, and why a figure of a small child might be preferred on the candelabrum.
Corvids have long impressed scientists with their flexibility in problem-solving and innovative tool use. Opportunistic observations of five wild house crows (Corvus splendens), a couple of them ...approaching burning oil lamps and delicately lifting the flaming wick and extinguishing it to consume the cotton wick are reported here. Although similar behaviour has been reported earlier in a few species, this is the first report of such an observation in house crows. Wild crows probably with no experience performing this fire manipulation, wary of nearby humans, could put the bird or its surroundings in jeopardy. Anecdotal reports of crows setting haystacks and thatched roofs ablaze are popular. The crow’s manoeuvres on the burning lamp and the skilful manipulation of the burning wick without getting hurt are commendable and warrant further research. Studies on the nonhuman fire-handling capability could illuminate our understanding of the behaviour of our ancestral hominins towards the fire that led to their mastery over fire.
A unique mold-made oil lamp dating from the Early Islamic period was found in the Old City of Jerusalem. It was inscribed in Greek on the upper and lower parts of its body, including the shoulder and ...the base. The lamp is of the Jerash type, produced between the late sixth and mid-eighth centuries CE. The lamp owner was most likely a Greek-speaking Christian—a resident of the city or a visitor from across the Jordan—on pilgrimage or on a commercial or social journey, attesting to a continuous presence of Christian visitors in the Holy City in the Early Islamic period.
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