Description
Lantern is a device used to illuminate surrounding space. It can be portable or fixed to a place. It can be used as any kind of a light source, for signaling, decoration, in religious rituals or in celebrations. They are basically a light source (candle, wick in a fuel or mantle) enclosed in a container that protects the flame so the wind would not put it out but light can pass through. It can be made from variety of materials from non- flammable to flammable. Lanterns are first mentioned in the written documents by Empedocles of Agrigentum and by Theopompus, a poet from ancient Greece. There is also evidence that other civilizations used them that early as well, like Egypt and China. In ancient China, they were made form paper, silk or animal hide while construction is made from wood and bamboo. Simplest lanterns use candles as a light source. Candle is placed in a tin box or cylinder with glass panels and an opening or holes on the top so candle can get oxygen.