Gerulata Lamps

A Survey of Roman Lamps in Pannonia

Frecer Robert

Not for sale in the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic!

For the ancient Romans, lamps were more than just a way to be able to see in the dark – they were mythical muses, witnesses to secrets, and instruments of the supernatural. Far more familiar to the average Roman than the high art of mosaics, statues, or frescos, lamps created the atmosphere of day-to-day life in the homes, workshops, and public houses of Roman provincial towns.

This catalog brings together for the first time the 210 ancient lamps excavated since 1949 in Bratislava-Rusovce, a suburb of the capital of Slovakia and the site of the ancient Roman settlement of Gerulata. What may appear at first glance as a standard panoply of Roman lamps is comprehensively examined to uncover signs of wear and use, unique personal inscriptions, and exceptional forms. This book reveals the stunning wealth of knowledge that can be gained from the study of lighting devices in this liminal settlement on the tough northern frontier of the Roman Empire.

About the Author

Robert Frecer is a PhD candidate at the Institute for Classical Archaeology at Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic.

Reviews

"Frecer's book constitutes, in many aspects, a pioneer research, which will, in our opinion, become a 'milestone book' for every scholar desiring to approach a corpus of lamps from a well-defined site in its full richness" – Laurent Chrzanovski, Department of Roman Archaeology, Universite Lyon II Lumiere

"By its scientific value, [the work] will certainly become a benchmark for specialists" – Florin Topoleanu, vice president of the Romanian National Archaeological Commission

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