Roman Britain / Learning resources / Crafts
Crafts · Free printable
Make a decorative clay lamp
Shape an air-dry clay lamp ornament and decorate it with your own symbol.
Suggested ages 7+ with adult help · Allow 30–45 minutes plus drying · 2 A4 pages
Print your template and guide
The first page contains the template or planning sheet; the final page has materials, making instructions and discussion ideas. Free for home and classroom use. Print single-sided in black and white. Print folding templates at actual size.
You will need
Air-dry clay, a work mat, a small amount of water and a blunt modelling tool. The PDF is a planning and making guide.
Make it step by step
Draw your design on the outline. Roll a small ball of clay and gently pinch it into a shallow bowl.
Pinch one side into a short spout and smooth the base so it sits flat. Add a small clay loop only if it will hold securely.
Press a simple pattern into the rim with a blunt tool. Follow the clay maker’s drying instructions.
Display it as an ornament only: do not add oil, a wick, heat or flame.
Tips and questions
Compare the ornament with the museum object: which features are similar and which are different? Let the clay dry fully before decorating if its maker recommends that.
Connect it with Roman Britain
Ancient pottery lamps held fuel and a wick. The linked museum example is a mould-made terracotta lamp. Our air-dry clay ornament uses a simpler open shape and is not a working lamp.
Suggested ages are a guide. Read the instructions together and adapt the practical work to your learners. Ask an adult to help with cutting.
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Metropolitan Museum of Art: Roman oil lamp
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