Strike-a-light
This strong piece of flint was a prehistoric fire-lighter also called a strike-a-light. If you draw a piece of flint along a piece of iron or steel it will probably produce a spark. This was a common method of lighting fires before matches were invented.
This flint would have been used with a piece of iron-rich rock (such as iron pyrites) and some tinder (types of fungus and plant seed heads are good) to form a fire-lighting kit. The rod-shaped flint would have been drawn along the lump of pyrites and any sparks formed would be caught in the tinder, igniting it to cause fire.
Many of the prehistoric strike-a-lights that have been found show signs of being used for a long time. This suggests that they were important objects that an individual would keep with them and use for many years.
This flint would have been used with a piece of iron-rich rock (such as iron pyrites) and some tinder (types of fungus and plant seed heads are good) to form a fire-lighting kit. The rod-shaped flint would have been drawn along the lump of pyrites and any sparks formed would be caught in the tinder, igniting it to cause fire.
Many of the prehistoric strike-a-lights that have been found show signs of being used for a long time. This suggests that they were important objects that an individual would keep with them and use for many years.
Object Summary
- Accession Loan No.
- 76/1992
- Category
- Antiquities
- Collection Class
- Devon archaeology
- Collection Area Region
- Northern Europe
- Material
- flint | | | |
- Common Name
- strike-a-light
- Simple Name
- implement
- Period Classification
- Neolithic (4000-2200 BC)
- Production Town
- Production Person Initials
- Production Person Surname
- Production Year Low
- Production Year High
