Bronze lamp in form of lion, Sardis, 5th-7th century, bronze/ copper alloy, 16.4 x 8.3 x 4 cm, Manisa, Archaeological and Ethnographic Museum, 4342
DESCRIPTION Lamp in the form of a lion, striding forward and holding a shell-shaped spout in his open mouth. A hole at the top of the mane, covered by a separately made hinged lid, allowed the lamp to be filled. A ring and loop just in front of the filling hole held a chain running back to the tail, which was used to suspend the lamp. A horizontal bar on the left side of the lion must be a means of attaching it to some kind of socket, on a lampstand or other fixture; the modeling on this side is sketchier than on the right, indicating that it was meant to be seen from the side. Patches on the sides mended flaws left when the lamp was cast. Length 0.164 m, height 0.083 m, width 0.04 m. COMMENTS From the “Byzantine Shops,” shop E5, the same shop that held flask No. 221. The lion was the best known attribute of the ancient Kingdom of Lydia, and remained popular throughout Roman times (Hanfmann and Ramage 1978, 20-23; Ratté 1989, 379-81). Analysis of the metal revealed that it was made of brass, an alloy of copper and zinc.