Jessie Taylor
The use of oil lamps and candles has a long history, with oil lamps believed to have first been used around 70,000 B.C. Early humans are thought to have used shells, hollow rocks, or other non-flammable materials as containers for moss soaked in animal fat, which they would ignite for light. Over time, the design and materials of oil lamps evolved, with the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans using oil lamps made from terracotta, bronze, stone, and alabaster. Oil lamps were also used for religious rituals in ancient times and continue to be used for this purpose today. Candles, on the other hand, were also used in ancient times, with evidence suggesting that tallow, or animal fat, was burned in lamps and later used for candle-making for nearly 2,000 years. Wax candles were employed for religious and private purposes during the Middle Ages, and candle-making techniques continued to evolve over time.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| First oil lamp | Some 70,000 B.C. |
| Oil lamp materials | Shells, hollow rocks, nonflammable materials, terracotta, bronze, stone, alabaster |
| Oil lamp fuel | Moss soaked in animal fat, olive oil, sesame oil, fish oil, whale oil, beeswax, tallow, kerosene |
| First candle | Unknown, but tallow was used for candle-making for nearly 2,000 years |
| Candle fuel | Animal fat, wax, spermaceti, olive oil, rape oil, palm oil, petroleum, vegetable wax, myrtle-berry wax, turpentine of fir trees |
| Oil lamp use | Home, work, rituals, ambient light |
| Candle use | Religious and private purposes, ambient light |
| Oil lamp design | Open dish, closed dish with a spout, cylindrical wick, glass tube chimney |
| Oil lamp replacement | Kerosene lamp, coal gas |
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What You'll Learn
- Oil lamps are believed to have come first, with the first stone-oil lamp dating back to 10,000-15,000 years ago
- Oil lamps were made from terracotta, bronze, stone and alabaster, and were easier to carry than torches
- Olive oil, sesame oil, fish oil, whale oil, beeswax and animal fat were used as fuel for oil lamps
- Oil lamps were used in ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome and are considered the first mass-produced objects in history
- Oil lamps were replaced by coal gas lighting in the 19th century, which was a quarter of the cost of oil or candle lighting
Oil lamps are believed to have come first, with the first stone-oil lamp dating back to 10,000-15,000 years ago
Oil lamps are believed to have been invented before candles. The first stone-oil lamp is thought to have been invented between 10,000 and 15,000 years ago, with the oldest stone-oil lamp discovered in Lascaux, France. This lamp was found in a cave inhabited by early humans who created the Lascaux cave paintings, which are thought to have been illuminated by burning animal grease in lamps.
The first manufactured red pottery oil lamps appeared in the Chalcolithic period. These early lamps were round bowl-shaped, with a slight pinch on four sides for the wick. Over time, the design evolved to include only one pinch. Bronze Age lamps were simple wheel-made bowls, and the four-spout design emerged in the Intermediate Bronze Age to provide sufficient light when fuelled with fish or animal oils, which burned less efficiently than olive oil.
Oil lamps were made from a variety of materials, including terracotta, bronze, stone, and alabaster. They were designed with a dish to hold the oil and a wick, which was typically made from textile or plant fibres. Olive oil, sesame oil, fish oil, whale oil, and beeswax were all used as fuel sources.
Oil lamps were used for lighting in ancient civilisations such as Egypt, Greece, and Rome, and they continue to be used in rituals in various religions, including Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, and Judaism.
Candles, on the other hand, were introduced later, with tallow, a form of purified animal fat, being used for candle-making for nearly 2,000 years. Candles were eventually replaced by coal gas lighting in the 19th century, which was a quarter of the cost of lighting by oil or candles.
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Oil lamps were made from terracotta, bronze, stone and alabaster, and were easier to carry than torches
Oil lamps were first made from natural materials such as stone, with early examples simply being stones with natural depressions in which animal fats were burned as a source of light. Shells, such as conch or oyster, were also used as lamps, and may have served as prototypes for later lamp forms. These early lamps are thought to have first been used over 6,000 years ago, in the Neolithic period.
As lamp-making technology developed, so did the materials used to make them. Oil lamps made from terracotta, bronze, stone, and alabaster appeared in Egypt, Greece, and Rome and are considered probably the first mass-produced objects in history. These lamps were in the shape of a dish that could hold oil and had a place for a wick, which prolonged burning time and prevented the entire surface of the oil from catching fire. They were easier and safer to carry than torches, reusable, and left less residue than candles.
Clay lamps, which could be hand-moulded, wheel-thrown, or impressed into a mould, appeared during the Bronze Age, around the 16th century BC. Initially, they took the form of a saucer with a floating wick, but soon evolved to have a pinched or folded rim, resulting in a nozzle that held the wick in place and controlled the flame and smoke. Lamps with folded rims are often referred to as "cocked-hat" lamps. As they evolved further, clay lamps became more enclosed, moving from a pinched nozzle to a bridged nozzle and featuring the addition of a rim.
In addition to stone and clay, lamps were also made from other materials such as glass, metal, and even gold and silver. Glass lamps, which appeared during the 4th century AD, were capable of holding oil without the risk of seepage and projected light more efficiently than lamps made from other materials. However, due to the presence of air bubbles, blown glass could not withstand the intensity of a direct flame as well as clay or metal, and so glass lamps tended to break easily, which may be why they are less commonly found in the archaeological record. Metal lamps, on the other hand, were popular during the Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine periods.
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Olive oil, sesame oil, fish oil, whale oil, beeswax and animal fat were used as fuel for oil lamps
Oil lamps have been used for thousands of years, with the earliest known stone-oil lamp dating back to the Mesolithic period (10,300–8000 BC). These lamps have been fuelled by a variety of substances, including olive oil, sesame oil, fish oil, whale oil, beeswax and animal fat.
Olive oil was a popular fuel for oil lamps in the Mediterranean region. Its use is referenced in the New Testament and continues to be used in the Eastern Orthodox Church, Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Catholic Churches. Olive oil was favoured for its bright flame and low smoke production.
Sesame oil was another common fuel source for oil lamps, particularly in ancient India. Sesame oil was likely used in the clay lamps found in the Ramayana and Mahabharata epics, which are dated to the 10th millennium BC.
Fish oil was also used as a fuel for oil lamps, although it burned less efficiently than olive oil. This is likely due to its higher water content and lower calorific value.
Whale oil was widely used in oil lamps during the 18th and 19th centuries, particularly in public spaces such as Vauxhall Gardens in London. Whale oil was valued for its bright flame and low smoke production, but it had a strong fishy odour. However, with the discovery of kerosene and the expansion of chemical refineries in the 1860s, the demand for whale oil declined.
Beeswax and animal fat were also used as fuel for oil lamps. Animal grease, tallow and beeswax were likely among the earliest fuels used for lighting, with evidence of their use dating back to ancient Egypt and the Lascaux cave paintings (created approximately 15,000 years ago).
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Oil lamps were used in ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome and are considered the first mass-produced objects in history
Oil lamps were used as a source of light in ancient civilisations, including Egypt, Greece and Rome. They were a crucial part of life in many cultures, serving both practical and sacred purposes. In ancient Egypt, oil lamps were used in religious ceremonies and placed in burial chambers. The goddess Heqet, the Egyptian goddess of fertility, childbirth and resurrection, is often depicted as a frog, which was a common motif on Egyptian lamps. Lamps made in North Africa, including Egypt, were decorated with a red slip and exported widely. They date from the 2nd to the 7th century CE and are characterised by a flat, heavily decorated shoulder with a small, relatively shallow discus.
In ancient Greece, oil lamps with a distinctive form emerged in the 5th and 6th centuries BCE. They featured a rounded body and nozzle, a large pour hole and were often covered with a black slip glaze. These lamps are considered the first mass-produced objects in history, as they were created using moulds and produced on a large scale in factories. The Greeks were not the only civilisation to produce oil lamps on a large scale. During the Roman Empire, major factories producing oil lamps were located in Northern Italy, but they later spread to the provinces, including North Africa. These factory lamps, known as "firmalampen", were often stamped with the mark of the factory or maker. They featured a channel running down the length of the nozzle, which helped divert spilled oil back into the body of the lamp.
Oil lamps were a common alternative to candles before the widespread use of electric lighting. The earliest clay lamps were shallow bowls in which a wick floated in a pool of oil. Over time, lamp designs evolved to include a spout for the wick to rest in, improving the functionality and portability of the lamp. Oil lamps remained in use in small towns and rural areas well into the 20th century, until electrification finally replaced them with light bulbs.
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Oil lamps were replaced by coal gas lighting in the 19th century, which was a quarter of the cost of oil or candle lighting
Oil lamps and candles have been used for thousands of years, with the earliest stone-oil lamp dating back to the Mesolithic period (10,300–8000 BCE). Oil lamps were a significant source of lighting before the use of electric lights, and they continued to be used even after the introduction of candles.
In the 18th century, there were advancements in oil lamp technology, with Ami Argand inventing a hollow, circular wick and burner in 1780, which was more luminous and efficient than previous oil lamps. However, in the 19th century, oil lamps and candles began to be replaced by coal gas lighting. This transition was driven by the need for cheaper and more efficient lighting solutions.
Coal gas lighting, also known as "coal oil", was first discovered by Canadian chemist Abraham Gesner in 1846. Gesner found that distilling coal produced kerosene, a clear liquid that burned with a bright, smokeless flame when used in traditional oil lamps. Kerosene was not only a more affordable fuel source but also revolutionized lighting due to its ideal illuminating characteristics. By 1858, the company Joshua Merrill was chief engineer of was producing 650,000 gallons of kerosene annually.
The distribution of coal gas for illumination became practical in the early 19th century due to the efforts of pioneers like William Murdoch and Frederick Winsor. Murdoch developed early coal gas lighting systems between 1805 and 1813. In 1812, Winsor established the world's first gas company, the London and Westminster Chartered Gaslight and Coke Company. The first street in the world to be illuminated by gaslight was Pall Mall in London in 1807, and by 1825, gas light was a quarter of the cost of lighting by oil or candles.
The transition from oil lamps to coal gas lighting was gradual, and oil lamps continued to be used, especially in rural areas. The development of kerosene lamps, which used a kerosene burner invented by Michael Dietz in 1868, further contributed to the replacement of traditional oil lamps. However, it is worth noting that oil lamps remained in use in some places, and their design was adapted to electrification, combining historic beauty with modern power sources.
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Frequently asked questions
The oil lamp. Oil lamps were first used around 70,000 BC, while the earliest candles, made from tallow, were used around 2,000 years ago.
Oil lamps used a textile wick that dropped into oil, which was then lit at the end, burning the oil as it was drawn up the wick.
Oils used in oil lamps included olive oil, sesame oil, fish oil, whale oil, beeswax, and sperm oil.
Candles were initially made from animal fat, which was solid at room temperature, making it easier to control than liquid oil.
Oil lamps were replaced by kerosene lamps in the 19th century, and by coal gas lighting in the late 1800s. However, oil lamps continued to be used in some places well into the 20th century, especially in areas that were slow to electrify.
