Oil lamps and hearths: A comparative study of the techniques used to illuminate domestic space at Arad and its enclaves in southern Sinai

Various techniques were used to illuminate domestic structures at EBII Arad (3000-2880 BCE) and its enclaves and outposts in southern Sinai. The dwellings were constructed in a manner that required some form of illumination on overcast days and at night. The residents had three options for lighting the interior of their dwellings: first, sunlight streaming through an open door was the most efficient means of illumination as it did not require the expenditure of fuel; second, the flint “stoves” that were used for cooking provided a certain amount of light; third, lamp-bowls fueled with olive oil were used to illuminate many broadroom dwellings at Arad, but not those in southern Sinai. Lamp-bowls were not used in the latter region because the fuel had to be imported and the amount of light cast by these devices was equivalent to a candle. In this context, hearths were a more appropriate form of illumination as there was a ready supply of firewood in southern Sinai. Lastly, burning olive oil in intact vessels to provide artificial illumination was an act of conspicuous consumption practiced by elites.