7,000-year-old scorched sticks may be oldest evidence of fire making in China. See them
.jpg "7,000-year-old scorched tools may be the oldest evidence of fire making in China, officials said.")
In China’s eastern coastal province of Jiangsu, archaeologists have uncovered what could be the oldest example of fire making ever found in the country.
Archaeologists working at the Caoyangang site discovered two long sticks dating to about 7,000 years ago, according to a Feb. 28 release from The State Council and Xinhua News, a state-run media outlet.
Gan Huiyuan, lead archaeologist at the site, said the two sticks are part of a fire-making tool set and include a drill stick and a fireboard.
The drill stick is almost 2 feet long and the fireboard is nearly a foot long, officials said. The fireboard has 10 “deep black circular indentations on its surface, showing clear signs of scorching,” according to the release.
The drill stick would have been used to twist on the fireboard, causing friction and starting a fire.
Gan said other firesticks have been found at the site, but none quite like these, according to the release.
Researchers said one end of the fireboard also had a circular groove that would have been used to tie a rope. This would make the board portable and easy to carry or hang, officials said.
“This tool set is not only the longest found at the site but also the most well-preserved fire-drilling equipment discovered to date,” Gan said.
The Caoyangang site has revealed more than 3,000 artifacts across its 861,000 square feet, officials said, ranging from pottery and bone tools to animal and plant remains.
Jiangsu Province is on China’s eastern coast along the Yellow Sea and East China Sea.
This story was originally published March 3, 2025 at 11:45 AM with the headline "7,000-year-old scorched sticks may be oldest evidence of fire making in China. See them."
