How did the Homo Erectus make fire?

Question

thanks :)

Answer 1

I think it was either lighting struck something(like a dead tree) and it caught fire and they kept it burning, or it was the sparking rocks :P

Answer 2

It's not believed that they could make fire on their own.

Two human cultures, the Tasmanian aborigines and Andaman islanders couldn't make fire on their own, so it seems that it wasn't part of the original human's skill set when they left Africa.

The current theory is that they kept the fires going non stop, lit originally by a lightening strike or forest fire. This is how the Andamanese got fire.

Answer 3

they had lighters ...lol

i think it started when they were carving there rock tools and when they saw sparks they made fire!

lol

Answer 4

The most common source was from natural means. Forest fires, and lighting strikes. Once collected, it's possible to maintain a fire almost indefinitely. Rack ashes over the coals and they will remain hot for hours.

The Sioux had a designated fire carrier. An ember was placed in a buffalo horn and packed in punky wood and dried moss. This could be carried all day and used to start the next fire. It's reported that you could identify the fire carrier from the thin thread of smoke.

Early settlers banked their fires and kept special pans handy to carry embers when the fire went out and they need to get coals from a neighbor.

Starting a fire from friction and percussion is hard. Right woods, right rocks and above all the right tinder is required. No doubt these methods developed over time.

Answer 5

In addition to keeping a fire alive, there were two kinds of fire-making technology that were employed by Homo erectus species: friction and percussion.

"Friction

An ancient method of making fire on demand consists of rubbing a hard wooden stick (for example some poplar) sharpened to a point, sometimes using a fire bow, on a hollowed piece of soft wood (for example fig wood). The heat produced is used to ignite tinder, such as charred cloth, dry plant material, or wood.

The hand drill grinding against the soft wooden base causes black dust to form near the hole of the soft wood, and that becomes a red hot coal. Tinder is added, and by blowing on the coal and tinder, a flame is produced. It can take a great degree of effort and experience to discover a successful combination of materials.

The bow drill uses the same principle but the spindle is driven by a bow, which allows longer strokes. With a good drill, fire can be rapidly created even in wet conditions.

Percussion



A flint, metal implement to strike with it, charred cloth and piece of mushroomTo produce sparks, one strikes a hard stone, for example flint or quartz, on another containing iron such as pyrite or marcasite. Sparks with this method must be immediately in contact with tinder, or with black charcoal cloth or steel wool that will smolder from the spark. The material used to hold the spark is held above the flint or quartz, tight against the stone. The striker is then brought against the stone in a quick, straight downward motion. The stone pulls steel flakes off the striker, which become hot, molten sparks."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Making_fire

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Control_of_...