Firelighting

Firemaking, firelighting or firecraft is the process by which a fire can be started artificially. Fire was an essential tool in early human cultural development.

The control of fire by early humans is said to date back to either Homo erectus or very early Homo sapiens: that is, hundreds of thousands of years ago, based on archaeological evidence of hearths. Smoldering plants and trees, or any source of hot coals from natural fires, may represent the first resources exploited by humans to control fire. Friction is the most commonly used primitive method for making fire. Ancient techniques for starting friction fires include the hand drill, the bow drill, the fire plow and the pump drill. The flint and steel method, where hot sparks are struck from a piece of steel or iron onto suitable tinder and fanned into flames, was also used by primitive cultures. These methods have been known since the Paleolithic ages, and are still commonly in use by some indigenous peoples.

The skills required to create, control and use fire using primitive methods, often in a survival situation, have come into popular use as a component of bushcraft.