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In the darkness of a peninsula is a single dot of warm yellow light as it flares and moves in the all consuming night. For many houses in the town, these lamps keep the town safe and mark it for travelers. These lights are a symbol of civilization. The lighthouse was a stalwart light that was snuffed out only a few hours out of the whole day. The lighthouses of most towns were the way by which many sailors found their paths home on the open sea. In order to be a proper portable light source, the lamp could be carried almost anywhere by people at any given time. Through the long history of human life, a single oil lamp was a constant companion. The search for a light source was first begun in the vast green shores of the Fertile Crescent. A very early light source that was used was that of torches, a single bundle of sticks mended together. These sticks would then be covered in a flammable substance such as cloth at the end. The light of the fire that was lit on this end was quite bright. The smoke from the burning was overwhelming to many ancient people. The oil lamp would come about only four hundred years later. The Chinese were the first to place distilled animal fat into tin or other metal boxes with handles. The oil lamp was made in its most rudimentary form in this manner. The Chinese would later perfect the art by making paper lanterns that burned the same fuel. Because metal was hard to obtain, paper became increasingly popular in China. This particular technology would take quite a long time in reaching the Western world. Brand new technology and ideas were constantly brought in during the Middle Ages from all corners of the globe. The oil lamp was soon adapted by metal workers in Europe. The oil lamp was one of the quickest and most pervasively popular items in western Europe during the time. For hundreds of following years, the oil lamp was the most commonly used item in the world, until the discovery of electricity. Though electricity completely eclipsed these items, they remain as steady backups today. The oil lamp is a rustic feature that helps light a home on a warm light that is often missing in modern lighting today. These are often used in modern society as beach house decor. Large numbers of people believe that the light of an oil lamp is more appealing in general. The two differing types of the oil lamp are the rectangle sealed and the round opened. Escaping heat is ushered up the piping of the glass dome of the open round lamp. The rectangular seal is a metal cast lamp that uses an oval glass chamber for light. The round open was a type often used in warmer months, while the closed, heat retaining lamp was used in cold seasons. On boats and near the sea, the closed rectangle was the preferred oil lamp. Among the antique and rustic trend of decorative items, the oil lamp stands out as the star of the show.
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oil lamp, oil lamps, lanterns, oil lanterns, lamps, decor, nautical decor, decorations,
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