Abstract
Discovery of two lamps at the Roman fort of Apsaros (Gonio, Georgia) offers further insights concerning adaptation of the pelta motif on Roman lamps. Inquiry into the nature of the ornaments on the base – previously unknown in Colchis – leads to conclusions about the possible influx of goods to the fort located on the outskirts of the Roman Empire.
Highlights
THE PELTA MOTIF ON ROMAN LAMPSWith respect to pelta motif on Roman lamps[4], the two patterns of the iconographic scheme (in figural scenes and as an ornament) are employed in a manner similar to the ancient media mentioned above
Recent excavations at the Roman fort at Apsaros (Georgia) brought to light two terracotta lamps adorned with three evenly distributed pelta shapes on the base[1]
Lamps with the base decorated with a pelta pattern, found at the Roman fort of Apsaros, provide a point of departure for discussing the iconography and types of application of this motif on Roman lamps
Summary
With respect to pelta motif on Roman lamps[4], the two patterns of the iconographic scheme (in figural scenes and as an ornament) are employed in a manner similar to the ancient media mentioned above. The basic iconographic subjects involving peltae as an element of discus decoration are various scenes with the Amazons and so-called military friezes[5] Those representations are found on various types of lamps covering a vast period from approximately the first to the fourth century. The most common pattern appears on Broneer type XXVIII8, in which rim is adorned with rows of raised dots terminating with a pelta at the nozzle Those so-called plain ovule-and-volute lamps[9] are dated to the third to early fifth century. A cursory analysis of military-themed decorations of discuses and rims of Roman lamps suggests a connection concerning the combination of the pelta motif with a double axe[14] Another noteworthy piece of ornamentation is a pelta-shaped volute at the nozzle of an Athenian lamp dated to third-fourth century[15]. A number of scholars have studied this subject[16], no specific research devoted exclusively to the pelta relief has been carried out
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