Prior to the Twentieth Century the workday was limited by daylight. There was limited reliable light sources to allow work at night, whether indoors or out. Since the advent of electric light we are so accustomed to being able to do whatever we wish, whenever we wish, by flicking a switch, that it is hard to imagine life in the "Dark Ages."

A fire could and did provide some light, but as anyone who has ever tried to read a book by the light of a fire will tell you, it's not really enough light to do more than see the people who are with you. Fires were much more likely to be a source of heat than light.

The obvious choices for indoor lighting become candles and oil lamps. Oil lamps have been in use since the Stone Age. Originally they were stones or rocks with a hollowed out side that fuel and a wick could be placed in. The fuel was generally some form of animal fat and the wick was plant material; moss, rushes, etc.

During the Medieval Period the technology used by most common folk was essentially the same. The candle and the oil lamp are the use the same principle, a wick, which holds the flame and the fuel. The difference is that in an oil lamp the fuel is liquid at room temperature and with a candle the fuel is solid at room temperature. The wick absorbs the fuel which is what burns, the wick merely holds the flame somewhat stationary.

Candles were both costly and labor intensive to make so only the Church and the wealthy used them frequently. Most candles were made from tallow, an animal fat, or beeswax. Tallow needed to be melted and then the wick was dipped repeatedly into the melted fat to build up many layers. As a tallow candle burns it gives off a disagreeable odor so beeswax candles were preferred, especially for religious purposes.

Beeswax could be rolled or melted to form candles, but the use of candle molds was a more recent invention and was not used during the Medieval and Renaissance. When beeswax candles are burned they give off a pleasant scent of honey and much less smoke than tallow.

Since candles were made by hand and a uniform width was not the norm, candle holders had a saucer to catch the drips and a spike, on which the candle stood. Candle holders in which the candle is inserted into were, such as we use today, not widely known.

Oil lamps were widely used as home light sources. Plant based oils were common as well as lard, and fish oils. Mediterranean countries preferred olive oil in lamps but in northern countries that did not grow olives used other plant materials. Lard could be had almost anywhere and fish were plentiful in northern climates as well.

In the late Fifteenth Century Leonardo DaVinci invented an improved oil lamp that included a glass tube which held the flame and stood in a glass globe which held water. This was a much more efficient light source as the flame was protected from air currents and the water reflected more light.

The Dark Ages were not referred to that way because of a lack of light, but a lack of enlightenment. But, as we can see, there was a lack of light as well!