Light is seldom addressed in archaeological research, despite the fact that, at least in ancient Egypt, it would have impacted upon all aspects of life. When discussing light in Egyptology, the vast majority of scholarly attention is placed on the sun, the primary source of illumination. In comparison, artificial light receives very little attention, primarily due to a lack of archaeological evidence for lighting equipment prior to the 7th century BC. However, 19th and 20th century lychnological studies have exaggerated this point by placing an overwhelming emphasis on decorated lamps from the Greco-Roman Period. In an attempt to move beyond these antiquarian roots, recent scholarship has turned towards examining the role that light, both natural and artificial, played in aspects of ancient societies’ architecture, ideology and religion. The extensive body of archaeological, textual and iconographic evidence that remains from ancient Egypt is well suited to this type of study and forms three core data sets in this thesis. Combining a materials-based examination of artificial light with a contextualized, theoretical analysis contributes to a richer understanding of ancient Egyptian culture from the 3rd to 1st millennium BC. The first three chapters of this study establish a typology of known artificial lighting equipment, as well as a lexicon of lighting terminology. A comparison of the archaeological and textual evidence allows for a discussion on the consumption of lighting in ancient Egypt and its impact on social and economic spheres. From this material it becomes apparent that artificial light was a luxury and this corresponds to its inclusion in religious texts and iconography, as well as the presence of lighting implements in tombs of the wealthy elite. The second half of the thesis examines the ritual application of artificial light, incorporating iconographic and textual evidence, consideration of ritual space and timing, and experimental archaeology. This interdisciplinary approach allows for a discussion of the sensory experience of artificial lighting and its perceived potency in ancient Egypt. It also demonstrates the contribution that Egyptology can make to lychnological and sensory studies of the ancient Near East and Mediterranean by examining the impact of light on phenomenology and aesthetics.

Les études dédiées aux lampes en terre cuite en Gaule et dans l’Empire romain sont relativement abondantes. Depuis le travail fondateur de S. Loeschcke (1919), nous avons aujourd’hui une idée relativement précise des différents modèles qui sont apparus entre la période tardo-républicaine et la fin du Haut-Empire. Toutefois, le luminaire est avant tout considéré, de par la multitude des formes et des décors, comme un objet muséographique ou pédagogique car il représente le mode d’éclairage par excellence de l’Antiquité. En archéologie, il sert de moyen de datation au même titre que la terre sigillée ou les monnaies. Mais on oublie trop souvent que la lampe en terre cuite est d’abord un objet manufacturé, fruit de l’industrie humaine. À cet effet, elle peut fournir de précieuses informations sur l’artisanat antique et plus particulièrement, sur la manière dont les potiers ont réussi à produire un objet qui leur était étranger, sur les problèmes qu’ils ont rencontrés et les solutions qu’ils ont appliquées. L’étude des caractéristiques techniques d’une lampe permet aujourd’hui de tracer la production d’un atelier spécifique et en même temps, grâce à des cartes, d’en définir l’aire de diffusion à différentes échelles spatiales (région, pays). Enfin, l’adoption de cet éclairage artificiel, typiquement méditerranéen, parles populations indigènes, est l’un des facteurs de romanisation que l’on perçoit, le plus souvent, à travers les pratiques funéraires et cultuelles.Ce travail de recherche, novateur, permet de revenir sur ces différentes problématiques dans un espace confiné au Centre-Est de la Gaule. Les résultats obtenus nous ont permis d’identifier différentes entités productrices et leurs réseaux de distribution au cours de diverses phases chronologiques comprises entre le Ier s. av. J.-C. et le IVe s. apr. J.-C. et qu’accompagne une réflexion sur la consommation des lampes en terre cuite durant cette période. / There are quite many articles and monographs dedicated to terracotta lamps in Gaul and Roman Empire. Since the pioneer work done by S. Loeschcke (1919), we have been developing till today, abetter understanding of the lamps that have appeared between the post-republican to the Early Roman empire period. But very often, due to the various shapes and decorated medallions, the lamps are only considered as museum or educational items, because they represent the ultimate lighting mode during Antiquity. In archeology, they are used as a dating tool as well as the terra sigillata or the antique coins.However, we usually forget that the terracotta lamp is a manufactured product issued from the human work and therefore, is able to provide invaluable information on antique craft industry. Through their study, we are able to understand how the Gallo-roman potters have been adapting themselves to the manufacturing of a product they did not know, to new technical challenges and new processes. Also, thanks to the analysis of the technical aspects of the lamp itself we can track the products belonging to the same potters’ workshop as well as we can map the distributed market areas at various scales (regional, country-wide). Finally, the adoption by the local people of this lighting mode that is typically Mediterranean is a clear sign of Romanization, especially through the funeraland religious practices. This innovating study is focusing on these issues within a defined area, the East Central Gaul. The results have enabled the identification of several workshops and their distribution network during the different chronological phases from 1st century BC to 4th century AD and have also opened adevelopment on the way of consuming the terracotta lamps during this period