Archaeologists excavating in a Dutch town called Cuijk discovered a well-preserved Roman oil lamp shaped like a theatrical mask. Dated to the second century CE, the artifact was discovered in one of the graves in what is turning out to be the largest Roman cemetery ever discovered in the North Brabant province.
The lamp is impressive not just due to its preservation but also because of its elaborate design. Its filling inlet is within the open mouth of a mask, framed by wide eyes and thick brows that may represent a satyr, a half-human, half-goat figure from Greek mythology.
A scallop shell crowns the forehead, from which a leafy ornament rises in the form of a headdress. Curls of hair spill down the sides, and the lamp nozzle forms a fluted “neck” below the face. The botanical composition and intricately carved details make it stand apart from more conventional examples, where mask designs were usually rendered in simpler relief.
This decorative style reflects the influence of Greek theater, where actors used masks with exaggerated features to project expressions and shift roles. In the Roman context, such motifs were widely used in art, architecture, gravestones, and everyday items like oil lamps. When placed inside graves, lamps had a symbolic purpose: they were believed to guide the dead to the underworld, illuminating the path to their final destination.
The lamp was unearthed during excavations in a burial ground that initially surrounded the Roman town of Ceuclum, a town inhabited by the Batavi, a Germanic people allied with Rome. Today, Ceuclum lies beneath the modern municipality of Cuijk, near the German border. Although the majority of the graveyard is now covered with roads and buildings, surveys indicate it covered a minimum of 15 acres. To date, only 15 percent of the site has been excavated, with archaeologists already uncovering more than 85 graves.
The burials themselves yielded a variety of grave goods that shed light on the community’s daily life and cultural ties. Terra sigillata plates—then exotic fine red pottery imported from Gaul—were found in excavated graves, alongside locally produced white wares, handled jugs, cups, glass vessels, and bronze bowls. Jewelry was also discovered. In some cremation pits, blackened soil and shards of exploded pottery reflect the funerary practice of throwing pottery into the fires as offerings, their contents destroyed along with the bodies.
These discoveries confirm that Ceuclum was a prosperous settlement with access to the resources of the whole Roman Empire. The density of the graves and richness of the finds suggest that the cemetery will continue to offer significant data as more excavations are undertaken. Discovered after nearly 1,900 years buried in the soil of Cuijk, the oil lamp reveals not only Roman funeral rites but also the enduring cultural connections that bound theater, religion, and daily life together in the ancient world.
More information: Gemeente Land van Cuijk
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