How did pre-Roman tribes light fire?

[tombear]

Well that's me stuffed. It takes me half a box of Swan to get through a bowl of tobacco....

from the evidence whats the most correct method of friction fire lighting for the British Isles in the 1st century BC? I guess I will be making one. I've done hearths/spindle/bow sets before but not ploughs.

it'll be something to do while my legs in plaster.

cheers

Tom

 

[Stringmaker]

The fire plough is waaaaay too much hard work.

I'm too feeble to do it that's for sure and I've tried under expert guidance (Dan from Woodlore).

My guess is that it would be the bow drill; maximum return for minimum physical effort and in our temperate climate that equates to reliability across more conditions than the hand drill?

Having said that, two people working a hand drill is pretty efficient too.

 

[oldtimer]

For what its worth: In the temple of Vesta, the Roman goddess of the hearth, (Greek Hestia) to whom fire was sacred, the sacred fire had to be kindled only by the friction of wood. Somewhere in the dim recesses of my memory, I think I read about the fire in all Roman hoidencemes being dowsed and relit from the sacred fire once a year, the fire being carried in the fahion described by Toddy. Obvious similarity herewith fire ritual in other cultures. eg in Catalunya, we carry fire kindled on Le Canigo to all the villages in the region on the fete day of St Jean.
To me, it would seem to follow that fire by friction was a tried, tested and normal skill of the average Roman. thus one would not expect to find evidence of other fire starting methods.

Whoever named early matches vestas may well have started the awful joke about making fire from rubbing two sticks together is easy if one of the is a match!

 

[Toddy]

Good points

There are also the traditions of the Beltane fires; they had to be lit from cold and using no iron.
No idea how old that one is though.

cheers,
M

 

[Skaukraft]

One fomes glowed it's way quite happily for 3.5 hours
Toddy

Phellinus igniarius is known as "Ildkjuke" her in Norway, ildkjuke translates to fire fungus. It can easily hold an ember through the whole night.

 

[Toddy]

Oh excellent, that's really interesting information Just need to find the stuff now.
Loads of willows around us here, old ones at that, but none infected as far as I'm aware.

Looking it up, it sounds very similar to fomes fomentarius.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Skaukraft]

It's not unlike the fomes. But they look like they got their nose up in the sky, if you know what i mean.