Natakamani and the bronze oil lamp. Some evidence of metallurgy from Jebel Barkal

During the 2015 season, the Italian Archaeological Mission in Sudan working at Jebel Barkal brought to light an object that has no parallels on the site: a bronze oil lamp. This object was found in a context of heterogeneous materials, including pottery, stone fragments and a large number of beads, located in the south-western corner of the palace of King Natakamani, probably in a secondary deposition. The lamp is one of only three bronze objects found so far in Natakamani’s palace and, from a technical standpoint, it represents a fine example of open core lost-wax technique. Unfortunately, the complex stratigraphy and the lack of comparisons within the site do not allow us to date the lamp with certainty, but possible stylistic parallels could be recognised with some bronze lamps coming from Meroitic tombs. By analysing the possible contacts between Meroe and the Hellenistic world we can speculate as to whether this object was imported, or rather, was a product of local craftspeople re-elaborating Graeco-Roman models.