Stone fat lamp
Lámpara de piedra con grasa animal
- Date
- c. 19 ka · confidence high
- Place
- Lascaux Cave, Montignac, Dordogne, France
- Credited to
- Homo sapiens (Magdalenian)
- Field
- Matter & energy
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What it is
A polished sandstone lamp with a bowl, fat residue and a juniper wick, found in the Lascaux Nave. Portable, controllable light that made it possible to work deep inside caves.
Cruder lamps exist from the Aurignacian (c. 40 ka) onward; the Lascaux example is the best-preserved type specimen. Pine torches are the most common alternative.
What it led to
- Cave art in deep areas: underground sanctuaries
- Night-time and winter work inside dwellings
- The origin of artificial lighting as a household good
Built on
- Control of firec. 1 Ma
- Structured central hearth and domestic spacec. 300 ka
- Fire-making by percussionc. 50 ka
- Control of fire
- Fire-making by percussion