A Roman lamp with remains of a wick from the necropolis of Gazzo Veronese (Verona), Italy

We present an analysis of the fibers found inside a Roman clay lamp (Firmalampe) recovered in one of the graves discovered near the Via Claudia Augusta (open from Hostilia in Verona and from there to Tridentum and beyond the Alps) in Gazzo Veronese (Verona) during the excavations conducted in 2015 by the Department of Culture and Civilization, University of Verona. The lamp, which has blackened spout and a Vetilii stamp, is dated to the first half of the 1st century AD. Fibre identifica- tion of the wick preserved inside the lamp indicates the use of rush (Juncus sp.), a common plant in the wet environment typical for the Verona plain. This is the first evidence for the use of rush for this purpose in Roman Veneto.