A lamp such as this might have lit homes at the dawn of the Christian era. A metaphor of joy and prosperity, for hope, for life itself, lamps have illuminated the path of civilization for centuries. They have guided great thoughts through the night, stood vigil with lonely passions. In the presence of this simple object, we are in touch directly with a vanished world, with the people once warmed by its glow. Today it remains as an enduring symbol of man's desire to conquer the darkness. This particular Byzantine oil lamp features a spacious two-tiered ridge around the filling hole. The coils of volutes, ladder motifs, and plant life dominate the geometric decoration on this oil lamp.