◊ Mesolithic fire-making | Roeland Paardekooper | 07-Jun-2014 Youtube

Six-and-a-half minutes of Mesolithic fire-making at the archaeological open-air museum Oerlinghausen (despite there being a fire already lit behind!). Werner is using a bow-and-drill and then tinder. There is a momentary intrusion of 21st-century curiosity, but otherwise this is pleasantly atmospheric.

Certain fungi, such as horse’s hoof (Fomes fomentarius) discovered at Star Carr, could also be used as tinder and to preserve smouldering embers while on the move, although this video demonstrates how quickly a fire can be ignited with dry materials. One can confidently predict that flint and iron pyrites would also have been used to generate sparks.