Neanderthals were lighting fire 400,000 years ago

According to IsnaThe ability to light a fire at will has long been seen as a turning point in the story of our human evolution. This ability gave us advantages such as cooking food, staying warm, and protection from predators.

Early humans progressed over thousands of years from gathering flames around wildfires to tending them and finally, intentionally lighting them.

Nick Ashton, a researcher working with the British Museum and leading the study, says fire collecting was dependent on natural events, particularly lightning strikes, and there were significant difficulties and costs in maintaining fire. However, lighting fire allowed early humans to have it wherever and whenever they wanted, leading to its common use.

It is difficult to determine exactly when this type of fire use evolved, because the effects of natural and man-made burns are very similar. Now, however, a new study reports a concentrated patch of hot sediment and burnt stone tools from the East Farm Barnham archaeological site.

The researchers found two pieces of pyrite, a mineral that can spark when struck with flint, suggesting that early Neanderthals used them as “fire-starting tools.” These ancient sediments show the earliest known evidence of volcanism approximately 400,000 years ago.

Complete control of fire through deliberate creation was achieved by early Neanderthals 400,000 years ago, Ashton says.

The Barnham site is located in an abandoned mud pit in Suffolk, England, and preserves artifacts from the period of about 427,000 to 415,000 years ago. In this area, the researchers found a small patch of reddened sediment about the size of a small fire, surrounded by two pyrites, 19 flints and four broken handaxes that showed clear signs of heating. Pyrites are rare in this area and early Neanderthals probably brought them from elsewhere.

The researchers conducted special experiments to confirm whether the discoloration of these red sediments and altered artifacts was a human intentional fire or a natural occurrence.

Small-scale tests showed that these were man-made fires and that the area was used for frequent burning, with some sediment samples having temperatures in excess of 750 degrees Celsius. Ashton says these are the temperatures reached at campfires.

He added: Early Neanderthals had the knowledge of preparing pyrite, which was very rare in this region, and they were aware of its properties in creating sparks when struck to make fire. Even the fire extinguisher had to be carefully selected. Some dried mushrooms are especially effective. This represents a high level of recognition of early Neanderthals, not only in Britain, but more widely across Europe.

Previous evidence of lighting a fire dates back to about 50,000 years ago. Therefore, this finding pushes the record back 350,000 years.

This finding also shows that deliberately lighting a fire was a skill that appeared before the evolution of the wise man (Homo sapiens).

This study was published in the journal Nature.

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