Did Candles Come Before Lamps?
The candle is in appearance a primitive affair, yet there is little doubt that its predecessor was the lamp. Those old Egyptian tombs, which have unlocked many mysteries, held lamps, and through them evidence of ancient burial customs. Lamps played a part in the solemn feasts of the Egyptians, who on such occasions placed them before their houses, burning them throughout the night. Herodotus, in one of his numerous references to Xerxes, alludes to the hour of lamp-lighting, and evidences abound regarding the use of lamps among the ancient Greeks. Lamps, indeed, are pictured upon some of their oldest vases, indicating the symbolic significance which attached to them.
A French watch tower of the fifteenth century in time of siege. The tower is lighted by means of beacons and is protected by dogs. Ruins of such a tower can still be seen at Godesberger on the Rhine.