Oil lamps and hearths: A comparative study of the techniques used to illuminate domestic space at Arad and its enclaves in southern Sinai

Abstract

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.