CANDLE

Candles were made by the Romans starting in 500 BC. about. They were real candles dipped and made of tallow. Evidence of candles made from whale blubber in China dates back to the Qin Dynasty (221–206 BC). In India, the wax obtained from boiling cinnamon was used for temple candles.

In parts of Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, where lamp oil made from olives was readily available, candle making remained unknown until the early Middle Ages. In ancient times candles were made primarily from tallow and beeswax, but in recent centuries they have been made from spermaceti, purified animal fats (stearin) and paraffin.