The History of Candlemaking
Candle-making, or some form of illumination, has been something that humans have done for thousands of years. In its bare basic form, candles have been needed in the past for light, to tell the time, the passing of hours, and to bring a bit of warmth to a home. Candles, however, are consumable artefacts, and they’re usually made from organic substances – wax, be it plant-based or made from animal fat, and a wick often made from cotton or fabric – and therefore, they don’t really survive in our archaeological record. Therefore, candles are an extremely difficult object to find evidence for, unless the conditions are right. Most of the evidence for candle-making often comes from either other associated artefacts or historical records. This means that candle-type objects or artefacts could have existed before any evidence we have, but they just no longer survive or they just haven’t been found—yet.
So, lets dive into the first evidence of candles in the past!
Is it always the Romans?
Well, let’s just dispel that rumour right now. No, it’s not always the Romans— phew! —but they do have a hand in candle making.
The first evidence we have for candles-like artefacts comes from the Egyptians, c. 5000 years ago, they were using a ‘rushlight’ technique. A rushlight is where you soak a dried reed or piece of fabric in a clay bowl of melted animal fat or tallow. Once lit, you’d have a contained and steady flame that would last overnight. They would often be used as a to illuminate a home, as a nightlight for sleep, as light for travelling at night, or even during religious ceremonies. Their burn time and containment meant that you would even be able to use the embers to light your hearth the next morning. Rushlights really changed the game for human development. They were inexpensive, easy to use, and accessible. They also produced a reliable and controlled flame that could be transported. Afterall, human activity doesn’t stop just because night had fallen.
[Rome has entered the chat]
I did say that they had a hand in making candles, didn’t I?
Roman Oil Lamp, British Museum. Egypt c.100-375.
If you’ve ever been to any Roman museum or site, you would have seen an oil lamp or two dotted about the collection. A Roman oil lamp is similar to the Egyptian rushlight, except instead of animal fat the Romans used olive oil and a woven fabric to create light. There are copious amounts of archaeological evidence for oil lamps and how they were commonly used during the Roman period. However, the Romans have also been attributed to the invention of the modern candle, wick and all.
This evidence dates back to 500 BCE, in which we see the Romans dipping a woven plant-based wick into rendered animal fat from cows and sheep, known as tallow. This gives you a yellow-tinged, pretty fowl smelling candle, but not unlike modern taper candles. These candles were often used alongside oil lamps, and are primarily found associated with religious rites and ceremonies, especially Saturnalia, the winter holiday dedicated to the god Saturn.
Similarly, in Ancient Greece, candles were used in the worshipping of the Goddess Artemis. A small candle would be placed on top of a ‘moon-cake’ dedicated to Artemisia and lit, to celebrate the goddess. This has been attributed to the modern tradition of birthday cakes. Although, there is little physical evidence for this Ancient Greek ritual (that I can find!) it still seems like a very fun tradition.
Archaeological Evidence: The Tomb of Qin Shi Huang
The first physical evidence for candles was found in the mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, dating to 200 BCE in China. You may have heard of him? The first emperor of the Qin Dynasty? You know, the Terracotta Army?
Yes, that Qin Shi Huang. How cool!
Candles made from whale fat and woven fabric were found within the tomb, as well as so many other wonderful finds. Interestingly enough, we also have a written account from the historian Sima Qian (c.147-87 BCE) several decades after the emperor’s death describing the contents of the tomb and the illumination used to light it:
“Lamps were filled with whale oil so that they might burn for the longest possible time.”
Upon discovering the tomb, archaeologists found remains of the candles and bronzeware candle-holders that still had remnants of whale-fat wax inside them. This tradition of candle-usage continues on throughout the early historic period and well into the Middle Ages.
The Middle Ages: The Stinky period.
After the collapse of the Roman Empire in the west (c.500 CE) and the decline of trade, candles became more commonly used within Europe. This meant that many people needed to find other alternative forms of light or produce them themselves.
In Europe, candle-making became a sort-after skill. They were called chandlers or smeremongere and their wares it didn’t just apply to candles, but to sauces, vinegars, soaps, and even cheese. Candles became commonplace in Europe and often they were made with tallow or beeswax. Tallow contains glycerine which produced a rather unpleasant, stinky odour. Oddly enough, the production of tallow candles was banned from many European cities during the early medieval period due to its awful smell. However, they were still commonly used in street-lighting up to the 15th century.
Beeswax became a popular substance for making candles with as it could be easily moulded, rolled into a cylinder by producing sheets, and was clean burning, meaning it didn’t produce that awful, foul smell. However, producing beeswax was an expensive task that required land and honey bees. Therefore, in the medieval period, it was classed a restricted substance and only available to the rich, at royal events, and within churches.
By the 13th century, candle-making became a recognised guild craft in England and France, allowing chandlers to form a recognised merchant guild. In 1300, the Tallow Chandlers Company of London was formed and in 1456 it was granted its own coat of arms. Very fancy.
The Rise and Fall: Industrialisation
After the post-medieval period, candle-making began to boom. People began to explore the limits of candle-making, mass production, and new odourless waxes, such a colza oil and stearin.
In 1834, Joseph Morgan patented a candle-making machine which allowed candles to become an affordable commodity once again. This machine produced over 1500 candles per hour and a new tightly-woven wick came into circulation. This wick was called the self-consuming wick or a self-trimming wick, something that we candlemakers still use today—just without the lead. The self-consuming wick, meant that once lit, the wick would curl inward and be consumed by the flame meaning the wick would only need to be trimmed in between burns.
In the mid-1800s, James Young successfully distilled paraffin wax in Bathgate, West Lothian. Paraffin is a by-product of oil refining. This meant that candles could be easily mass produced, accessed and that there were alternatives to the foul-smelling tallow candles that had been so popular and necessary before industrialisation.
However, in 1879 the invention of incandescent light bulb came along. Thomas Edison created the first commercially practical incandescent light and soon, candle-making fell into decline. The introduction of other lighting forms such as kerosene lamps also speeded along the decline of the skill. From that point on, candles were no longer seen as a practical item, used for illuminating homes, helping travellers, or many of the numerous uses that they once had, but instead, they were seen as a decorative item.
In the 1990s, candle-making saw an incline again. People wanted candles and they wanted scented candles. Manufactures looked at waxes such as soy, palm, and flax seed oil, blending them with new fragrances and even paraffin wax to get an even performance at a low-cost price. And, that’s pretty much how modern candles were formed—but I think that might have to be another blog for another time!
