1,900-Year-Old Roman Oil Lamp Shaped Like a Mask Unearthed in the Netherlands!
Archaeologists working in the Dutch town of Cuijk have uncovered a remarkable piece of Roman history: a beautifully preserved oil lamp shaped like a theatrical mask. Dating back to the second century CE, the lamp was found in a grave within what is proving to be the largest Roman cemetery ever discovered in the province of North Brabant.
What makes this find particularly striking is not just its age or condition, but the level of detail in its design. The lamp’s filling hole sits in the open mouth of a mask, framed by dramatic eyes and heavy brows that may represent a satyr, a mischievous half-human, half-goat figure from Greek mythology.
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A scallop shell crowns the forehead, topped with a leafy headdress, while curls of hair tumble down the sides. The lamp’s nozzle forms a fluted “neck” beneath the face. This elaborate decoration sets it apart from the simpler designs usually seen on Roman oil lamps, suggesting it was a prized object even in its own time.
The design reflects the deep influence of Greek theatre on Roman culture. In Greek and Roman plays, actors wore exaggerated masks to project expressions and quickly change roles. These theatrical motifs were carried into Roman art, architecture, gravestones, and even everyday items such as lamps.
Placed in graves, lamps carried symbolic weight too. They were thought to light the way for the dead on their journey to the underworld, a small flame guiding them to their final resting place.
Photo Credit: BAAC/RAAP
The lamp was discovered in the burial grounds surrounding the Roman settlement of Ceuclum, once home to the Batavi, a Germanic people allied with Rome. Today, Ceuclum lies beneath modern Cuijk, close to the German border. Although much of the cemetery now lies under roads and houses, surveys suggest it covered at least 15 acres. So far, archaeologists have excavated only around 15 per cent of the site, yet have already uncovered more than 85 graves.
The burials have yielded a rich variety of grave goods. Archaeologists have found imported fine pottery from Gaul known as terra sigillata, as well as locally produced wares, glass vessels, bronze bowls, and jewellery. Some cremation pits revealed scorched earth and shattered pottery, evidence of funerary rituals where offerings were destroyed in the flames alongside the deceased.
Together, these discoveries paint a vivid picture of life in Ceuclum nearly two millennia ago. The settlement clearly prospered and enjoyed connections across the Roman Empire, accessing goods, styles, and traditions from afar.
The oil lamp, with its theatrical design and symbolic role, is more than just a grave good, it embodies the blending of art, ritual, and daily life that characterised the Roman world. And as excavations continue, the cemetery at Cuijk promises to reveal even more about the people who once lived, and were laid to rest, on the empire’s northern frontier.