Two lead braziers from a Roman-period shipwreck off the Ashqelon coast

Two lead braziers were retrieved from the sea off the Ashqelon coast during an underwater survey. They were probably part of a ship's cargo dated to the first century BCE-third century CE. These finds shed light on the long debated subject of lighting fire abroad ships. An explanation as to how the objects were operated is offered, as well as a reconstruction of their use, either for cooking or for heating liquids.