Terracotta Lamps from the Middle Byzantine Period (10th-11th Centuries) Unearthed in the Amorium at Excavations

Abstract

The subject of this study is a group of wheel-thrown terracotta lamps unearthed during the excavations at the city of Amorium. Terracotta lamps used to illuminate various places are generally produced with three different techniques: hand-shaped, mold-made, and wheel-thrown. It is seen that the wheel-thrown technique, which is one of these three techniques, was used intensively in the Middle Byzantine Period. Indeed, glazed and unglazed examples of wheel-thrown oil lamps with open forms can be identified in many centers. One of the centers where this type of lamp is particularly prevalent is Amorium, which stands out for being one of the cities where this lamp type was found in large quantities. This density is an important piece of data in terms of contributing to the studies on lamp findings. Amorium lamp findings were discovered in the Church A, Large Area, and Large Building-East (LBE) in the Lower City, as well as in the Inner Wall and Basilica B in the Upper City. A total of 57 lamps considering their form and fabric have been introduced in detail. They were also dated based on the layers in which they were found and by comparison with similar examples from other sites.

It is declared that scientific and ethical principles were complied with during the preparation of this study and all the works referred are mentioned in the bibliography.