It is very difficult to pinpoint an exact date to when the first ever 'lamp' was used due to its many different forms and re-inventions. What we would now consider as a lamp-like object can be dated back as far as 70,000 BC in the times of the cave man. Archaeologists estimate that this is when the first type of lamp was used in the form of a hollow stone containing some kind of animal fat, which cavemen burnt to produce light at night. This is only a calculated guess due to the fact there would be no real evidence for this. The lamp also features in the history of the Greeks, Romans and Egyptians however the lamps used during this time were usually made out of some sort of pottery with a fuel burning and therefore more resemble what we would now view as a old fashioned lantern.

Throughout history there were a number of different fuels burned and carried to form a lamp-like object. From candles which were lit and carried in trays and cases to oil burning lamps, electric lamps and much more recently, the modern lamp incorporating new technologies such as touch lamps. Traditionally many materials were used for lamps, such as candles made from beeswax, olive oil lanterns and many other oils usually which were burned in a dish to form a portable light.

It was in the 1700's when the use of oil lamps became popular as a great long lasting source of light with a moderate flame. The most famous of which may be the oil lamp carried by Florence Nightingale, a nurse who visited the injured soldiers during the night and carried a lamp to light her way. The 1800's saw the first ever gas lamp produced which almost replaced the oil lamp completely as a much more reliable light. Gas lamps provided a long lasting bright light and were easy and cheap to produce. This made them very suitable for such things as street lamps and lamps for the home such as bedside lamps.

It wasn't until the late 1900's that the electric lamp was produced and the incandescent light bulb was invented by the famous Thomas Edison. He did many experiments using a carbon filament, coiled and connected to wires to form an electric light. This is when lamp technology revolutionised and the variations of styles and designs began to expand rapidly. People could use electric lamps continuously and they were much easier to turn on and off, therefore far more convenient than the traditional lamps.

Nowadays, lamps come in a huge range of styles and designs, using the latest technology to suit almost every need. There is such a wide variety of lamps for every situation, from outdoor solar lamps to light the garden to bedside touch lamps which don't even require a switch, but turn off/on by touch. You can buy everything from lamps replicating those traditional lamps to provide a rustic feel, to the most high fashion sculptural lamps to provide a focal point within your room. Lamps are vastly used purely as an accessory to decorate any room with light.