Roman lamp from the Ἀρχέπολις workshop and other late antique lamps from Burial House 1/2007 in the Harbour Necropolis of Ephesus

Abstract

The article presents ceramic lamps discovered during the 2007 rescue excavation conducted in Burial House 1/2007 of the Roman and late antique Harbour necropolis of Ephesus, located north of the harbour channel. Special attention is placed on one of the grave goods discovered in Grave 3, an imported Roman lamp of probable Cypriot origin, with the first instance of an Ἀρχεπόλεως signature coming from Ephesus, depicting Hercules dragging Cerberus from the Underworld. Other finds belong to imported and local late antique artistic arts and crafts. Some of these might have been used in the context of Ephesian burial rites, most conceivably as lighting devices, adding also to our insight on local crafts and customer demand.