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Reference: RE2 / Cat. No.
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Period:
Roman
Origin:
Egypt
Date:
150 – 350 AD
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Description:
Ovoid body, stylised frog on upper surface. Base bears alpha mark.
Manufacture:
Mould made.
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Notes:
Cf. Boston, 72.1550.
Type: see Thomas, BM 2015, pp.12-13; Chrzanovski, PAM 2019, pp.517-543.
Comments:
The frog, traditionally associated with the Egyptian goddess Heqet, survived as a symbol of birth and resurrection into Coptic times. The frequent depiction of the animal (or parts of it) on lamps belonging to a distinctive regional group, typically bulbous as here, gave rise to the umbrella term 'frog lamp' for the whole group regardless of their iconography.
Modern research (e.g. Knowles 2006) suggests that the group was introduced somewhat earlier than dates previously proposed, although those examples actually depicting a frog are not necessarily the earliest version.
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