Clay Lamps Shed New Light on Daily Life in Antiquity

Residential Lighting: History, Energy Efficiency, And Health Effects

“…The first period of progress in domestic lighting began when a primitive human noticed that grease from cooking meat burned brightly when it dripped into the fire, perhaps in the Paleolithic period [2]. This simple observation led to the first oil lamp, probably nothing more than an overturned sea shell filled with grease and a wick of dried grass [3] The rushlight followed, and in turn, the candle [4]. Despite drawbacks, gaslight was such a leap forward in convenience, and so widely accepted, that it became a fixture in the 19th century, so much so it popularly symbolizes the period itself, often referred to as "The Gaslight Era" [5].…”