Meroitic - Oil Lamp with Bound Prisoner - Walters 541549 - Back

Elaborate oil lamps with figural attachments were common at the royal court in the ancient kingdom of Meroë. This lamp depicts a captive nude prisoner, his hands bound to his ankles. The lamp would have been suspended by a chain from the collar around the figure's neck. A Meroitic symbol, perhaps an owner's mark, is incised on the prisoner's shoulders.