Prehistoric stone used to start fire discovered

Archaeologists discovered a 9000-year-old limestone slab used in the Neolithic to light fire. The found was made prior to the expansion of Highway 38 in Israel.

The Neolithic slab (by Israel Antiquities Authority)

The experts believe that the slab dated back to the Neolithic period when mankind started to adopt a sedentary lifestyle and began to farm the land. Fire was created by rotating a piece of wood (like a drilling machine) placed in the groove of the slab. The kinetic energy was then transformed into heat and when it came into contact with a flammable substance placed within the cavities, and ignited them. According to the researchers the find indicates mankind’s relatively advanced pyrotechnic capabilities during this era when fires were made that reached very high temperatures and heat was used f.ex. to turn limestone into plaster.

(after Israel Antiquities Authority & Jewish Press)

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