Modern archaeologists have found a lot of evidence that the first people did not use fire for cooking, heating or lighting. They were afraid of fire and tried not to approach the burning dry grass or trees. They knew that it brings death and destruction, but they could not tame the wild phenomenon of nature.
Instructions
Step 1
Who and how first began to use fire still remains a mystery, but most likely it happened by accident. At some point, the ancient people noticed that after forest fires, hot logs remain, which provide heat, and the meat of dead animals becomes tastier. Another option is also possible: during a strong thunderstorm, lightning could strike a dry tree and ignite it. Undoubtedly, the pioneer who defied his fear was a true daredevil. Thanks to natural curiosity, ingenuity and courage, this primitive man gave his family or his tribe such a miracle as fire.
Step 2
People carefully guarded the fire obtained during a thunderstorm or fire, and they trusted only the most responsible representatives of their community to take care of it. However, sometimes the fire was extinguished, and the whole tribe was left without heat and light. In primitive society, there was an urgent need to make fire, not hoping for the next thunderstorm or fire. People in antiquity could get it only by experience. It is not known how many methods they tried, but archaeological finds indicate that only a few of them achieved their goals.
Step 3
Scraping is the simplest, but most laborious, method of making fire. Its essence was to run a dry stick along a wooden board. Pressing the stick with force, the person tried to make the board smolder, so that later he could add dry grass and leaves and thus get fire. Scientists have named this device a fire plow.
Step 4
Another device of the ancients was a fire saw. The main difference from the "plow" was that the person drove the stick not along the board, but across it. In this way, the smoldering wood shavings were scraped off. However, man soon found a faster and easier way to get fire - drilling. A hole was made in a log or large chip, into which a stick-drill was inserted. Due to the vigorous rubbing of the stick between the palms of the hands, smoke began to ooze from under it. This meant that the wood powder began to smolder.
Step 5
A later and one of the most widespread and effective methods of making fire is by striking a spark with flint. Flint at that time was an ordinary stone, which was hit hard on a piece of iron ore. The spark was cut at an angle so that the resulting sparks hit the leaves or dry grass. The fire flared up much faster in this way.
