The hearth and seasoned wood

use of fire since prehistoric times

Easy

One of the earliest forms of use of fire in prehistoric times was called a 'bowl of fire' a kind of hole dug into the ground.

Then the 'hearth' was raised with stones placed in a circle around the hole. Later it was further raised with earth and stones.

Only later the hearth was circumscribed with a "wall" thus becoming safer inside the houses and improving the way food is cooked.

Weathered wood and combustion

Wood seasoning is a fundamental process because as soon as it is cut it has a high moisture content, around 60% of its weight, therefore of water.

For a better yield it is necessary to reduce this humidity through the seasoning, which can last either an entire summer (humidity decreases up to 25%) or even two years (moisture content even of 15-20%) optimal value to be able to use it for energy purposes.

During combustion, a certain amount of energy is released in the chemical bonds between the substances that make up the wood, if there is a lot of humidity inside the wood in combustion, a large part of this energy is used to evaporate the 'water and not to provide heating.

Learn the art and put it aside

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