Not two centuries, four to eight; or even more than that, if you're feeling uncharitable. The Roman Empire had chimneys; in the Middle Ages, they were rediscove

Not two centuries, four to eight; or even more than that, if you're feeling uncharitable. The Roman Empire had chimneys; in the Middle Ages, they were rediscovered no later than the 12th century, and were common in residences no later than the 17th (1600s). Raised platforms for building cooking fires are also very 17th-century; they let you cook standing up, instead of squatting and ruining your back like the woman in the article. (There's a nice illustration of this in Braudel's _The Structures of Everyday Life_.) Smoke hoods were also available at that time.