542
Popular in the northern Pontic area, this type, to which cat. 542 belongs, most probably originated in Asia Minor. It has recently been attested in Amorium (Turkey), where the excavators call it the “Amorium” type (Lightfoot 2003). Besides Turkey and South Russia the type is found also in Bulgaria. The lamp is characterized by a biconical body with a large rounded central part and two narrow protruding ends opposite one another—actually, handle and nozzle; large round filling-hole surrounded by a circular rim; vertical almost conical knob handle; and a long nozzle with a large oval wick-hole. On several examples a semicircular ridge marks off the nozzle top and the handle, separating them from the body. Flat slightly raised base. According to Chrzanovski and Zhuravlev 1998, the type started at the end of the third or the beginning of the fourth century A.D., was most intensively produced during the fourth century A.D., and late specimens were still made in the second half of the fifth and even the beginning of the sixth century A.D.