Paris had more than 2,700 street lights by the end of the 17th century, and twice as many by 1730.

King Louis XIV authorized sweeping reforms in Paris in 1667, which included the installation and maintenance of lights on streets and at intersections, as well as stiff penalties for vandalizing or stealing the fixtures. Still, in the mid 17th century it was a common practice for travelers to hire a lantern-bearer if they had to move at night through the dark, winding streets.

In 1588 the Parisian Parliament decreed that a torch be installed and lit at each intersection, and in 1594 the police changed this to lanterns. Public street lighting was first developed in the 16th century, and accelerated following the invention of lanterns with glass windows, which greatly improved the quantity of light. According to some sources, illumination was ordered in London in 1417 by Sir Henry Barton, Mayor of London though there is no firm evidence of this. The earliest lamps required that a lamplighter tour the town at dusk, lighting each of the lamps. In the Middle Ages, so-called ' link boys' escorted people from one place to another through the murky winding streets of medieval towns.Д«efore incandescent lamps, candle lighting was employed in cities. A slave responsible for lighting the oil lamps in front of Roman villas was called a lanternarius. At that time oil lamps were used predominantly as they provided a long-lasting and moderate flame. Main articles: Oil lamp and Gas lighting Preindustrial era Д®arly lamps were used by Greek and Roman civilizations, where light primarily served the purpose of security, both to protect the wanderer from tripping on the path over something or keeping the potential robbers at bay.

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