Ancient Lamp in a form of a warship “sanctuary of Athena” Cast Stone Museum Copy

Ancient lamp that was found in the Erechtheion and has the form of a warship. It bears the inscription “sanctuary of Athena”. Athens, Acropolis Museum. The real one is bronze.

The bow at the front, between the ram and the small deck with the railing, accommodates the slot for the wick. At the back, the stern ends in a bird’s head with a double beak, while the beam protruding from the side would have served to secure the ship’s double rudder. Inside the lamp survives a small section of the mast step, the thick beam at the bottom of the hull used to secure the foot of the mast. The engraved circles on the exterior are the openings through which the oars passed. The inscription ΙΕΡΟΝ ΤΗΣ ΑΘΗΝΑΣ confirms that the lamp was a sacred object that belonged to the goddess.

The shape of the lamp relates to the celebration of the Greater Panathenaea and the offering of the Panathenaic peplos as after the naval battle of Salamis the Athenians carried to the Acropolis the peplos attached like a sail to the mast of a warship, possibly one of the triremes that took part in the battle, which moved on wheels.

Dimensions (approximately):

Height: 10.5 cm (4.13 inches)
Width: 30cm (11.81 inches)
Depth: 6 cm (2.36 inches)

weight: 465 gr (1.025 lbs)