Mauretania. Zum Griff einer spätrömischen Bronzelampe aus Marseille

Mauretania. The Handle of the Late Roman Bronze Lamp from Marseille

The subject of this study is a handle of a late Roman bronze lamp from the late 3rd or early 4th century AD, which came to light under unknown circumstances in Marseille-Le Canet sometime before 1761 and has been kept in the Musée Calvet in Avignon since 1810. Following earlier suggestions to name the figure depicted as the goddess Isis, the goddess Cybele or as Bacchus in the role of a theatrical actor, the author now argues in favor of naming her as the personification of the continent of "Libya" or one of the Roman provinces of North Africa, such as "Africa" or "Mauretania". Even without an exact parallel, the newly interpreted lamp handle fits perfectly into the imagery shaped by the ideas and tastes of a wealthy elite, which we encounter not only on the mosaic floors of rich late antique villa complexes such as in Piazza Armerina and Caddeddi near Noto in Sicily, but also - as shown here - on late Roman bronze lamps and other bronze utensils.