How did the ancient Egyptians make fires?

Answer 1

The fire drill was a very simple technology known almost everywhere in ancient times. It is closely related to the drill used in making furniture, jewellery and boats and it used the principle that a piece of hardwood, when pressed firmly and rotated against a piece of softwood, generates heat by friction.

The fire drill uses a flat piece of softwood with a small groove and hollow, into which the hardwood drill is placed vertically. The drill is rotated by means of a "bow" - a short stick with a cord which is wrapped twice around the drill. Downward pressure on the drill is also required.

The drill does not produce flame or sparks, but hot embers from the softwood, charred by friction - these can then be used to start a fire.

The first link below includes images of an ancient Egyptian fire drill (ignore the modern magnifying glass at the top of the page). The second link gives examples of many tools used in ancient Egypt, including the fire drill: