Hi Frank

Maybe this will be useful:

M. Piotrowski, G. Dąbrowski 2007; Krzesiwa i krzesaki - przyczynek do badań nad krzesaniem ognia w starożytności oraz średniowieczu (na marginesie badań archeologicznych na stan. 22 w Łukawicy, pow. lubaczowski), "Archeologia Polski Środkowowschodniej", 9: 231-242.

http://bazhum.muzhp.pl/media/files/Archeologia_Polski_Srodkowowschodniej/Archeologia_Polski_Srodkowowschodniej-r2007-t9/Archeologia_Polski_Srodkowowschodniej-r2007-t9-s231-242/Archeologia_Polski_Srodkowowschodniej-r2007-t9-s231-242.pdf

Best Regards

Maciej Wawrzczak

Thank you very much Maciej!

Info on Oetzi's kit ...

ABSTRACT

The discovery of a Neolithic corpse in 1991 in an Alpine glacial field, near the Austrian–Italian border, attracted worldwide attention. The finding’s circumstances and the recovery of the mummy proved to be quite chaotic: it took five days for the corpse and most of the artifacts found with it to be transferred to a lab of forensic medicine in Innsbruck, the capital of Tyrol. During this time (September 19–24, 1991) the Neolithic origin of the corpse was unknown, and at least 22 different persons came into contact with it (Egg and Spindler, 1993). Many of the artifacts, some damaged by the visitors, were carelessly thrown into a garbage bag and brought to Vent, the next mountain village. Therefore, the exact original position of these artefacts (including fungal objects) could not be reconstructed.

Today, we know that the real age of the so-called “Ice Man” ranges, according to nine independent radiocarbon measurements, between 3350 and 3100 BC (Prinoth-Fornwagner and Niklaus, 1995). Among the numerous items of the Ice Man’s equipment were three fungal objects: two different shaped, polypore-like fungal fragments, each mounted separately on a leather thong; and a mysterious “black matter,” filling up the major part of his “girdle bag.” The black matter, which was first thought to be resin representing part of a prehistoric repair kit (Lippert and Spindler 1991; Egg and Spindler 1993), was later shown to be tinder material prepared from the true tinder bracket Fomes fomentarius (L.: Fr.) Fr. (Sauter and Stachelberger 1992; Poder et al., 1995; Peintner et al., 1998). The two whitish, polypore-like objects—one shaped more or less like a Scots pine cone, the other more spheroidal—were identified as fruitbody fragments of the polypore Piptoporus betulinus (Bull.: Fr.) P.Karst. (Poder et al., 1992; Peintner et al., 1998).

So far, this represents the only case in which mushrooms were obviously part of a prehistoric person’s equipment; it fi red the imagination not only of the public and the media but also of scientists. Due to a general fever of excitement, facts have often been mixed up with fictions.

http://www.dl.begellhouse.com/journals/708ae68d64b17c52,0d0f121956dd501b,30e4e1021c1fecff.html

Frank, are Roman references to 'sulphur-sticks' too much off-topic for you?

Hey Margaret,

I am interested in any method to start a fire.

Thank's for all the interesting answers!

OK, Frank. Here are two Latin references, :

[1] Martial Epigrams 1, 41. 

...hoc quod Transtiberinus ambulator, Qui pallentia sulpurata fractis

Loeb Classical Library; Cambridge, MA and London: Harvard University Press; 1993, translated by D. R. Shackleton Bailey as:

'What you are, the cheapjack from across Tiber is, who barters yellow sulphur for broken glass.'

But personally, I quite like the Loeb translation in the 1919 edition, by W C A Ker: '[You are] just like the tramping hawker from beyond the Tiber who exchanges pale sulphur matches for broken glass...' 

[2] Martial Epigrams 10, 3 

Et foeda linguae probra circulatricis, Quae sulphurato nolit empta ramento Vatiniorum proxeneta fractorum

 D. R. Shackleton Bailey, Loeb 1993 translation: '[Quips of home-bred slaves, vulgar abuse,] and the ugly railings of a hawker's tongue, such as a dealer in broken Vatinians would not want to buy for a sulphur match....' 

I have some modern analyses thereof, and other Roman references - if you want them? If so, send me your email address in a message. Simpler for me than copying and pasting it all here!

Hi Frank,

I just find this reference:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/215479434_Feuersteine_aus_merowingerzeitlichen_Grabern_Feuerschlagsteine

In case some pages from the above link are black, please try this:

https://journals.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/index.php/arch-inf/article/view/23712

Best wishes,

Stefan

Article Feuersteine aus merowingerzeitlichen Gräbern: Feuerschlagsteine?

Hi again Frank

You can see also this:

É. Garam 2011; „… A tűz csiholója”, [in:] K. T. Biró, A. Markó (eds.), Emlékkönyv Violának. Tanulmányok T. Dobosi Viola tiszteletére. Papers in Honour of Viola T. Dobosi, Hungarian National Museum, Budapest, p. 161-180.

http://mek-oszk.uz.ua/09200/09253/pdf/kotet.pdf

Best Regards

Maciej Wawrzczak

You might like to look at William Rubel The Magic of Fire: Hearth Cooking. (Ten speed press, 2002). William is a food historian and interested in cooking, but he has gone to a lot of effort to reconstruct ancient methods and his book is well worth consulting

For Medieval Hungary and further east see the attached articles, as well as one by Goessler, re-identifying a "Sarmatian" fibula as modern strike-a-light, published in Praehistorische Zeitschrift 1929.

Hello again,

The attached basic study by J. Weiner should be useful for you, giving literature from Palaeolithic to Modern periods.

Best wishes

NB