EVOLUTION OF FIRE

Early humans used fire to warm themselves, cook food,

and frighten away predators. Sitting around a fire may have helped
unite and strengthen family groups and speed the evolution of early
society. Fire enabled our human ancestors to travel out of warm,
equatorial regions and, eventually spread throughout the world. But
fire also posed great risks and challenges to early people, including
the threat of burns, the challenge of controlling fire, the greater
challenge of starting a fire, and the threat of wildfires.

As early civilizations developed, people discovered more

uses of fire. They used fire to provide light, to make better tools, and
as a weapon in times of war. Early religions often included fire as a
part of their rituals, reflecting its importance to society. Early myths
focused on fire’s power.

In ancient Greece and later, the fire was considered one

of the four basic elements, a substance from which all things were
composed. Its great importance to humans, the mystery of its
powers, and its seeming capriciousness has made fire divine or sacred
to many people. Fire as a god is a characteristic feature of
Zoroastrianism, in which, as in many sun-worshiping religions, fire is
considered the earthly representative or type of the sun.

Vesta

 Roman goddess of the hearth

 To honor Vesta, the high priest of the Roman religion periodically
chose six priestesses called Vestal Virgins who were responsible to
keep the holy fire going in a community hearth.

Prometheus

 Fire bearer
 He stole fire from the gods, gave it to man, and taught him many
useful arts and sciences.

Early Fire Making Techniques

1. Rubbing together pieces of flint that could produce sparks that

would set fire to wood shavings.
2. Rubbing together pieces of wood until the wood produced a hot
powder that could light kindling
3. Adaptation of the bow and drill which consisted of a block of wood
and a stick that was fixed in the looped string of a small, curved
bow.
4. Use of wood piston to compress air inside a bamboo tube that
contained wood shavings. Compressed air became increasingly
hotter, eventually igniting the shavings.
5. Use of tinderbox – moisture-proof, metal carrying case held tinder,
usually charred cotton or linen cloth, and pieces of steel and flint.
Striking the steel and flint together produced a spark that lighted
the tinder.
6. Tinderbox that operates like a present-day cigarette lighter in
which the rotary motion of a metal wheel against flint set off sparks
in tinder.
7. Development of phosphorus match. (mid 19th century)

Uses of Fire

Prehistoric Uses of Fire

1. Hunter-gatherers (people who lived by hunting and gathering wild

food) made use of fire so that they can remain active after the
sunset, protect themselves from predators, warm themselves, cook,
and make better tools.
2. Source of light by taking advantage of the glow of wood-burning
fires to continue their activities after dark and inside their dwelling.
3. Enabled people to make better weapons and tools.

People learned to control fire by blowing at it through

reed pipes. Then they used this technique to burn hollows in logs to
create cradles, bowls, and canoes.

Fires in Early Civilizations

1. Artisans first used fire to make pottery and bricks.

2. Ancient people developed improved devices for using fire to provide
light
3. The use of candles made of yarn or dry brushes dipped in animal
fat.

Modern Uses of Fire

1. Used in appliances that rely on fire to operate
2. Used to supplement the main heating system in their homes
3. Used over campfires
4. Used to manufacture products and dispose of waste
5. Used in incinerators to destroy garbage
6. Fire also heat large boilers to generate steam which then powers
large turbines.
7. Used in power plants to generate electricity
8. Used as a weapon in times of war (catapult)