The history of fire pits

This is a story that starts a long, long time ago. In fact, in many senses it starts at the very dawn of civilisation.

When we think of the great breakthroughs in history we may well be drawn to the invention of the wheel, the aeroplane, the television or even the Internet. There's no doubt that all of these things brought about great transformations in the way in which people live.

But few of them have actually had a big impact on human civilisation than when man first discovered how to create fire. The fire was, of course, to be a source of both heat and light. It may be possible to live in an environment that had previously been far too cold. It also made it possible to heat food.

But there were also dangers associated with fire. These days, we're probably all aware of many of these dangers. We rarely leave flames unguarded and so it was for prehistoric man.

Similarly, we're also aware of the value that can be attached to fire. We realise that it offers us the opportunity to keep warm and cook.

These days, of course, we also look to fire as a source of entertainment. This helps to explain the rising popularity of fire pits. They allow us to gather with friends and family. We can enjoy a meal together.

Even on cooler nights, the fun doesn't have to end early. The fire pit means that we can keep warm long into the night. There's no need to stop early.

We can see that, in many senses, we still make use of fire in much the same way as our ancestors once did. We've added an element of fun to that original need for more practical requirements.