Although there is no historical record of the first candles used by man, clay candle holders dating from 4,000 -3,000 B.C. have been found in Egypt and a bronze candleholder was found in (Tutankhamen's tomb) so they have been credited as the first ones to develop candles.  However,  the Ancient Egyptians used rushlights or torches, made by soaking the pithy core of reeds in molten tallow.  The rushlights had no wick like a candle.  It is the Romans who are credited with developing the wick candle, using it to aid travelers at dark, and lighting homes and places of worship at night.
       Most ancient  candles were  fueled  by a  variety of  natural substances.  Like the early Egyptians, the Romans relied on tallow, gathered from cattle or sheep suet, as the principal ingredient of candles.  The Japanese used the wax from an insect.  In India the wax from cinnamon was used, as the use of animal fat was outlawed.  Early American Indians used a candlefish, by sticking it into a spear and lighting it  and in  Shetland, wicks were jammed down the throat of a sea bird and lit.  
       It was not until the Middle Ages when beeswax, a substance secreted by honey bees to make their honeycombs, was introduced. Beeswax candles were a marked improvement over those made with tallow, for they did not produce a smoky flame, or emit an acrid odor when burned. Instead, beeswax candles burned pure and clean.  However, they were expensive, and, therefore, only the wealthy could afford them.  In Medieval times, beeswax was an accepted payment for a Church tithe. In the 1700's, a substance from the head of the sperm whale called Spermaceti, was used because it burned slowly.  Up until the 15th century, all candles were dipped.   A French inventor created wooden molds in this timeframe.