Light is easy to obtain during daylight hours, but at night a portable light source is a great comfort of civilization.   Light can be used to illuminate areas, navigate terrain in what would otherwise be blinding darkness, and is of course popular in indoor areas.  Any light source adds productive hours to what would otherwise be spent huddling in the darkness.   The introduction of lighting in the form of lamps guided many civilizations and made nocturnal activity possible.   A major cultural advance, and a major liability to not have access to illumination.

This section has been expanded somewhat.  While lamps and lanterns dissappeared fast, primarily because they are re-usable, other light sources may have more practical benefits for short term usage.    Battery powered devices are reliant on a depreciating energy source, but they are also capable of shining a very bright and directed light and carry little risk of spilling flammable fuel when being carried.