{"id":4030,"date":"2017-09-19T06:35:01","date_gmt":"2017-09-19T06:35:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.hearthaustralia.com.au\/?p=200"},"modified":"2021-07-14T22:47:40","modified_gmt":"2021-07-14T12:47:40","slug":"the-history-of-hearth-fireplaces","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.hearthaustralia.com.au\/the-history-of-hearth-fireplaces\/","title":{"rendered":"A history of hearths and humans through the ages"},"content":{"rendered":"
There are few words today which evoke collective warmth, comfort and satisfaction, the way hearth does. Hearth is the part of the fireplace in homes and halls which is brick or stone-lined. It has been integral to homes, cabins, castles and palaces for heating and cooking over the centuries, especially in cold climates.<\/p>\n
The word hearth has Indo-European roots<\/a>. Some of the earliest known written references to the hearth relate to Kapnikon<\/em> or hearth taxes in the Byzantine era. There was even a tax on hearths in England in the 17th<\/sup> century. In some religions such as Zoroastrianism, the hearth remains a sacred space<\/a> today, as it was in ancient times.<\/p>\n As far as the presence of stone fireplaces in large dwellings go, they have not always been as cosy as we know them today. In early European castles<\/a>, the hearth often stood in the middle of cold large halls, with smoke escaping through holes in the roof. It was only later that they moved to small rooms for cooking and gathering around. Decorating with columns and mantelpieces followed.<\/p>\n