Life is inseparable from fire, such as cooking and burning things now, you need to use fire. It's just that in ancient times, making a fire was a troublesome thing, and for people now, lighting a fire only requires a lighter, or a match. Not only is it convenient to carry, but it can also get the source of fire at any time. But how was fire done in ancient times? If it is a sudden need to use fire, does it need to be obtained by drilling wood to make fire?
Mr. Xiaojin
In fact, the earliest way to make fire is through wooden flint, which is actually the way to drill wood for fire, and there is also a story behind this. Legend has it that in the primitive period, people did not know how to use fire, so it was still an era of Ru Mao drinking blood. At that time, the Flintstones burst out sparks when they looked at woodpeckers pecking wood, so they believed that there was a flame hidden in the wood. So after constant attempts, the method of drilling wood for fire appeared. This method has also continued for a long time, marking the history of the first artificial use of fire in history.
Drill wood for fire
In the Zhou Dynasty period, drilling wood for fire was different from before, the wood used in ancient times had different exquisiteness, and with the change of seasons, the wood material for fire was also exquisite. In the Zhou Li, it is mentioned that willow is used in spring, jujube apricots and mulberries are used in summer, tulip trees are used in autumn, and locust sandalwood is used in winter. And the fire obtained by each kind of wood is also called a different fire, which is also derived from the importance of etiquette in the Zhou Dynasty. This method has continued until the Southern Dynasty period, and the method of making fire is almost similar.
In addition to drilling wood for fire, there is also the use of ready-made thermal energy, that is, the sun. In the Zhou Dynasty, there were records of taking fire from the sun, and the way to make fire was to use the fu fu flint to put it under the sun, and then make the light at the bottom concentrate on the tip of the bottom of the cup, so that it could be ignited over time. In the "Record of Examination Workers", it is also mentioned that the method of using gold tin as a tool to use a concave face to the sun for fire is also mentioned.
Ancient fire
This method was improved during the Han Dynasty, that is, the fu fu was changed to a bronze mirror, and then burned with wormwood. By the time of the Song Dynasty, it was still very popular, and it had a very detailed description of its use in the "Mengxi Pen Talk", which can be called an instruction manual for taking fire to the sun. In fact, this is also the famous convex mirror yuanyuan, and in the past, ancient people would carry flint (a kind of pointed cup, used as a fu flint) when they went out. But this also has a disadvantage, that is, when it rains or there is no sun at night, it is impossible to make a fire.
Copper mirror for fire
Relatively speaking, both yang flint and wood flint are more troublesome, not so easy to carry, and the fire process also takes a certain amount of time. In the Wei and Jin dynasties, there was a way of friction and fire, that is, flint stones. Knocking on a stone creates a flame, and this fire is called a stone fire. The ancient way of knocking stones and fires was to use iron pieces to collide with stones, and below them were flanels or things that were easy to ignite. In the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty, there was a fire sickle. The fire sickle is sewn into a bag and then installed with a blade and flint, as long as the fire is used, the tinder is placed on the stone, and then the iron blade is used to beat, so that the fire source can be obtained immediately.
And this also talks about the development of dry tobacco, because with this demand, it has promoted the improvement of the means of fire. After that, there were matches, lighters, and other tools, so these traditional ways of making fires gradually disappeared.
Fire sickle
It can be seen that the history of fire is very long, and the commonly used fire methods of folk are still two kinds of fire, stone flint and drilling wood, of which the way of drilling wood is used for tens of thousands of years. But this way of lighting also has a disadvantage, that is, it is not easy to find combustibles. That is to say, taking fire is a very important thing in the past, even spending a day to make fire, and after getting the source of fire, it also needs to be properly stored. Therefore, during the Ming Dynasty, there were artificially made flammable substances. In the "Nancun Shu Farming Record", it is recorded: "The Hang people cut pine wood into small pieces, which are as thin as paper, and the tarantula servants are divided into wine, and the name is called the candle, and it is also known as the pure child." Cover with fire and substitute lamp candles also. In the sixth year of Zhou Jiande, the concubines of The Queen of Qi used candles as their profession."
In fact, this is also a match from a long time ago, the ancients used pine wood to cut into thin slices, and then used a small insect, this insect's wings contain wax, so it is very easy to ignite. The candle made of this material only needs to be simply lit with a stone flint to get the flame. And the record also says that during the period of Emperor Wu of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, after Northern Qi was destroyed, those royal concubines fled everywhere, because they had always been pampered and superior, so they could not survive. And these concubines rely on making this kind of candle for a living, but the profit is too small, so they can't make much money.
However, through the development of the times, it will also be found that although people have achieved a lot of ways to make fire in ancient times, the development is still very slow, which shows that in the matter of fire, the development of the ancients was not so optimistic.