Lamp

This oval oil lamp is adorned with an abstract representation of a squatting frog, which is why it is called a frog lamp. So-called frog lamps are widespread in Egypt, especially in the 3rd and 4th centuries CE. Frogs are regarded as a symbol of fertility and as an image of primeval life. Heket, the goddess of birth, was also often depicted as a frog-headed woman in Pharaonic Egypt. The frog was adopted in Christian times as a symbol of resurrection. The heavy soot marks around the wick hole show that the lamp was in constant use. It is possible that the frog lamp played a role in religious ceremonies or in a funerary cult. It was discovered in Karara in Middle Egypt.