Outside Fire Pits - History
Fire pits preserve a great deal of information about past cultures.
Carbon dating from charcoal found in old fire pits can estimate when regions were first populated or when civilizations died out.
Also, bones and seeds found in them indicate the type of diet that civilizations ingested during the relevant time period.
In archaeological terms fire pits are referred to as features because they can be seen and recorded as part of the site but cannot be moved without being destroyed.
The first use of a fire pit occurred more than 400,000 years ago.
It was soon learned after this discovery that for fire to be useful, it must be controlled.
From continued use, man found that by concentrating fire in a hole in the ground with burning wood, that he could not only control the spread of fire better, but also increase its heat output.
Historically, a fire-watcher would be appointed, to prevent the fire from going out, as well as to prevent the fire from theft or from spreading, hence the historic findings of structures made with a collection of stones to contain the fire and prevent it from spreading.
Some cultures throughout history used a simple hole in the ground filled with hot coals and stones for both warmth and for in-ground cooking, including the Eastern Indians, Peruvians, and many other cultures, who used in-ground fire pits to cook for large numbers of people during times of festival, harvest and religious ceremonies.
In the days of the wild west in the United States, you may be most familiar with the use of fire pits in Native American teepees, as a central feature used for heating and council discussions.
The early explorers on their journeys of discovery used them as a way to cook.
Above ground pits were made using a circle of large stones where meat was placed on an implement and held over the pit fire to cook.
One day, a smart cowboy decided to put a makeshift grill over the stones so the meat could be placed over the fire unattended, and thus what we know today as the barbecue was invented.
Different forms and names has evolved over thousands of years for this outdoor fire creation, and has evolved in structure from the basic small fire pit, to much larger, and more elaborate and appealing in looks.
Some of the various types of fire pits today include: wood burning, natural gas operated, portable, folding types, outdoor fireplace, chimineas, fire bowls, cast iron, copper, and many with brick or stone.
The main function however has remained the same, to create heat to cook and to provide warmth.
Carbon dating from charcoal found in old fire pits can estimate when regions were first populated or when civilizations died out.
Also, bones and seeds found in them indicate the type of diet that civilizations ingested during the relevant time period.
In archaeological terms fire pits are referred to as features because they can be seen and recorded as part of the site but cannot be moved without being destroyed.
The first use of a fire pit occurred more than 400,000 years ago.
It was soon learned after this discovery that for fire to be useful, it must be controlled.
From continued use, man found that by concentrating fire in a hole in the ground with burning wood, that he could not only control the spread of fire better, but also increase its heat output.
Historically, a fire-watcher would be appointed, to prevent the fire from going out, as well as to prevent the fire from theft or from spreading, hence the historic findings of structures made with a collection of stones to contain the fire and prevent it from spreading.
Some cultures throughout history used a simple hole in the ground filled with hot coals and stones for both warmth and for in-ground cooking, including the Eastern Indians, Peruvians, and many other cultures, who used in-ground fire pits to cook for large numbers of people during times of festival, harvest and religious ceremonies.
In the days of the wild west in the United States, you may be most familiar with the use of fire pits in Native American teepees, as a central feature used for heating and council discussions.
The early explorers on their journeys of discovery used them as a way to cook.
Above ground pits were made using a circle of large stones where meat was placed on an implement and held over the pit fire to cook.
One day, a smart cowboy decided to put a makeshift grill over the stones so the meat could be placed over the fire unattended, and thus what we know today as the barbecue was invented.
Different forms and names has evolved over thousands of years for this outdoor fire creation, and has evolved in structure from the basic small fire pit, to much larger, and more elaborate and appealing in looks.
Some of the various types of fire pits today include: wood burning, natural gas operated, portable, folding types, outdoor fireplace, chimineas, fire bowls, cast iron, copper, and many with brick or stone.
The main function however has remained the same, to create heat to cook and to provide warmth.
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