Oldest evidence of deliberate fire use found in England

Humans whitethorn person made occurrence 350,000 years earlier than antecedently thought, scientists say.

Scientists person uncovered the oldest-known grounds of deliberate fire-making by prehistoric humans successful Suffolk, Britain – revealing it happened immoderate 350,000 years earlier than experts antecedently believed.

The site, a erstwhile clay pit adjacent the colony of Barnham, contains a hearth made by Neanderthals astir 415,000 years ago.

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Until now, the earliest known grounds of humans making occurrence dated to astir 50,000 years agone astatine a tract successful bluish France, besides linked to Neanderthals.

Researchers identified the remains of a repeatedly utilized campfire, including heated clay, flint tools shattered by aggravated vigor and 2 pieces of robust pyrite – a mineral that sparks erstwhile struck against flint to ignite tinder.

“We deliberation humans brought pyrite to the tract with the volition of making fire. And this has immense implications, pushing backmost the earliest fire-making,” said archaeologist Nick Ashton, curator of Palaeolithic Collections astatine the British Museum successful London.

While determination are adjacent older signs of humans utilizing people occurring wildfires successful Africa, this is the earliest impervious that radical knew however to commencement their ain fires.

Fire was a important turning constituent successful quality evolution. Controlled flames allowed past hunter-gatherers to unrecorded successful colder environments, navigator food, and support themselves from predators. Cooking besides helped our ancestors get much vigor from meat, roots and tubers, fuelling the maturation of larger brains and enabling communities to enactment much people.

Scientists accidental occurrence apt transformed societal beingness arsenic well. It brought radical unneurotic astatine nighttime to stock warmth, nutrient and conversation, perchance encouraging storytelling, connection and taste beliefs.

“The campfire becomes a societal hub,” British Museum archaeologist and survey co-author Rob Davis said. “We’re a taxon who person utilized occurrence to truly signifier the satellite astir america – and present we cognize this is thing Neanderthals were doing acold earlier than we thought, conscionable similar us.”

The grounds astatine Barnham suggests repeated occurrence usage astatine temperatures supra 700 degrees Celsius (1,292 degrees Fahrenheit), pointing to deliberate fire-starting alternatively than reliance connected earthy flames. The squad spent 4 years investigating the materials to corroborate the hearth’s property and quality origin.

The uncovering supports the presumption that Neanderthals, and perchance their adjacent relatives specified arsenic the Denisovans, were acold much innovative than erstwhile assumed, sharing cardinal endurance skills agelong earlier the emergence of modern-day humans.