CANDE´LA
CANDE´LA a candle, made either of wax (
cerea) or tallow (
sebacea),
was used universally by the Romans before the invention of oil lamps
(
lucernae). (Varr.
L. L.
5.119; Serv.
ad
Verg. A. 1.727;
Mart.
14.43;
Athen. 15.
700.) They used for a wick the pith of a kind of rush called
scirpus (
Plin. Nat.
16.178). They
[p. 1.352]were used in funeral
processions (Pers. 3.103). In Livy (
40.29)
fasces candelis involuti appear to be
packets wrapped up in a kind of wax cloth. In later times candelae were only
used by the poorer classes; the houses of the more wealthy were always
lighted by lucernae (Juv.
Sat. 3.287; cf.
Plin. Nat. 34.11. Becker-Göll,
Gallus, ii. p. 390).
[
W.S]