No longer would man fear the hidden dangers of predators in the night. He could utilize caves for shelter, knowing that he would be both warm and secure. By bundling sticks together, his fire could become a torch, and be transported to other places, lighting his path. Later, he learned that grease and oil also served as fuels, and he could create holders for the fuel out of horn, shell, rocks and stones. Adding a wick added a measure of control to the light. Hollow stone lamps have been found in the 15,000 year-old Lascaux caves in France. Niches were found carved in caves, like crude reflectors to intensify the light.
Olive oil served as a lamp fuel in the southern European and Mediterranean cultures, while animal fats probably served the hunter groups of the northern European, Asian and North American lands. Lamps were more likely to be used by the wealthy than by the poor. In times of hunger, the poor would consume fats, and they would have less fuel available for their lamps. However, even the dwellings of the highest born would be lit by dimly flickering open bowls with a simple wick.
Later, around 500 BC, these simple lamps were enclosed, and now had more than one wick extending from the pottery or metal bowls now used. This was safer, kept out insects and rodents, and eventually led to the invention of the candle. Expensive, clean burning beeswax was reserved for ecclesiastical use, while tallow was more affordable by the masses.
Candles remained the most common form of lighting for many centuries. A Swiss scientist named Argand, however, finally improved oil lamps in 1783. An oil lamp with a circular wick, and a glass chimney, produced better fuel consumption and brighter light. These were expensive and limited in use by most people. Early American lamps ("betty lamps") still consisted of a wick in an enclosed reservoir of oil but now the wick was supported so that the drip ran back into the bowl of the lamp.
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