
Due to
their original location, the relics in this room reflect the
public buildings of Luni, the places which, as well as carrying
out their specific functions, had the important role of facilitating
citizens' relations and gatherings. The forum, the square,
was the chosen place for meetings, where public and private
business were very frequently mingled. The theatre and amphitheatre
were the spaces for games and shows and hence entertainment.
In the civil basilica commercial transactions were carried
out and justice administered. The temples were the buildings
where the cult ceremonies were celebrated and in the baths,
which have not yet been identified in Luni, citizens could
take hot and cold baths, do gymnastics, have massages and
also develop social relations.
The many lamps on display were used in ancient times to light
houses and also public buildings. For example, they were placed
in the temples also with the function of ex-votos. The oil-lamps
were generally made of pottery or bronze and had various types
of decoration: in the bronze examples the handles in particular
expressed the craftsman's exuberant decorative imagination.
There were representations of animals such as bats, a symbol
of the night to contrast with the light emitted by the lamp.