A reanalysis of the lamps from the baths of the Villa Romana del Casale at Piazza Armerina, found in Gentili's excavations of 1950-1955

Abstract

The new archaeological project of the Villa del Casale in Piazza Armerina (EN) has as one of its aims a review of the lamp finds uncovered during the excavations in years 1950-1955 led by Gino Vinicio Gentili and published in 1999. A new revised catalogue of these lamp finds was published by Daniela Patti in 2013. This paper provides an updated review of lamp finds from the baths of the Villa and their contexts. Most of the lamps are similar to previous finds from Late Roman and Early Byzantine contexts in Sicily; North African, Tripolitan, and local products dominate the scene. Moreover, the lamp finds give evidence about trade contacts to the Eastern Mediterranean, namely to Athens, in the 4th to 5th centuries A.D., which is also attested among the lamp finds of the catacombs in Syracuse.