Humans were making fire 400k years ago, earlier than thought
2 days ago
- #human evolution
- #archaeology
- #prehistoric technology
- Ancient humans may have learned to make fire around 400,000 years ago, much earlier than previously believed.
- Evidence from the Barnham site in Suffolk, England, includes baked clay, heat-fractured flint axes, and iron pyrite fragments used for sparking fire.
- Geochemical tests confirmed temperatures exceeded 700°C, with repeated burning, indicating controlled fire use rather than natural wildfires.
- Iron pyrite, not naturally found at Barnham, suggests deliberate collection and understanding of its fire-starting properties.
- Fire enabled survival in colder climates, cooking food (improving nutrition), deterring predators, and fostering social activities like storytelling.
- The inhabitants were likely early Neanderthals, showing advanced cognitive and technological skills.
- The discovery pushes back the earliest known controlled fire-making by about 350,000 years, with implications for human evolution and social development.