11-17-2003, 03:14 PM
I think you are right about trade in military and urban centres Aitor. In Britain these appear to have been the main focal points of Roman culture. Which makes me wonder if the rarity of oil lamp finds outside of these contexts could be because much of the indigenous population was not as affected by the influences of this culture, and carried on life much as before without a great need and/or desire for Roman "luxury" items. I'm thinking about the simpler folk here, not the elite.<br>
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Could there be a parallel to this in the Basque country? How great an influence did Roman culture have there? I don't know much about the history of the region, but I did recently come across a reference to a cohort of Basques (Vasconni?) serving on Hadrian's wall.<br>
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Pliny refers to the oil of castor-oil plants being used for lamps but doesn't rate it highly, and also to to the collection of bitumen on reeds from a certain spring in Sicily which was used instead of lamp oil by the inhabitants.<br>
There is also a reference in book XVI to reeds stripped of their outer covering being used for candles and funeral torches.<br>
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Could there be a parallel to this in the Basque country? How great an influence did Roman culture have there? I don't know much about the history of the region, but I did recently come across a reference to a cohort of Basques (Vasconni?) serving on Hadrian's wall.<br>
<br>
Pliny refers to the oil of castor-oil plants being used for lamps but doesn't rate it highly, and also to to the collection of bitumen on reeds from a certain spring in Sicily which was used instead of lamp oil by the inhabitants.<br>
There is also a reference in book XVI to reeds stripped of their outer covering being used for candles and funeral torches.<br>
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