Before candles were invented, ancient people used open fire, torches, splinters of resinous wood, and lamps to provide light at night. Primitive oil lamps in which a lit wick rested in a pool of oil or fat were used from the See more

• History and Psychology of Candles See more

After the collapse of the Roman empire, trading disruptions made olive oil, the most common fuel for oil lamps, unavailable … See more

With the growth of the whaling industry in the 18th century, spermaceti, an oil that comes from a cavity in the head of the sperm whale, became a widely used substance for candle … See more