With support from the University of Richmond

History News Network

History News Network puts current events into historical perspective. Subscribe to our newsletter for new perspectives on the ways history continues to resonate in the present. Explore our archive of thousands of original op-eds and curated stories from around the web. Join us to learn more about the past, now.

8,000-year-old drill to make fire found in east China

Chinese archaeologists said that parts of an instrument to make fire, dating back to 8,000 years ago, have been found in east China's Zhejiang Province.

The relics, made of bones and wood, were discovered at the Kuahuqiao Relics Site in Xiaoshan, Zhejiang Province, according to Qianjiang Evening News.

Liu Zhiqing, a retired professor from Zhejiang University, was quoted by the newspaper as saying that the relics were part of an instrument to drill wood to get fire.

Some relics in strange shapes were unearthed at the Kuahuqiao Relics Site, which have attracted Chinese archaeologists to investigate their usage.

After studying the relics housed in Xiaoshan Museum, Liu said "Several pieces of the relics were the handle, body and bit of an ancient fire-making drill."

"There should have been a bow to draw the drill to rotate," said Liu.

His opinion was shared by Shi Jianong, curator of Xiaoshan Museum, and Shen Zhongrui, another professor with Zhejiang University, according to the newspaper.

Read entire article at English People's Daily Online