Earliest Evidence of Human Fire-Making Identified in Britain
Recent archaeological findings at a 400,000-year-old site in eastern Britain provide the earliest known evidence of humans actively making fire. This discovery, detailed in a study published in the journal Nature, pushes back the timeline for human-initiated fire production by over 350,000 years.
The Discovery and Evidence
The site yielded raw materials consistent with fire-making: fragments of iron pyrite found alongside fire-cracked flint handaxes within a hearth-like structure. Researchers, including Nick Ashton from The British Museum, noted the rarity of pyrite in the local geology, suggesting its deliberate transport to the site. Pyrite is known for its ability to generate sparks when struck against flint, a method for starting fires.
Significance of Fire-Making
Archaeologists generally agree that the ability to make fire was a critical development in human history. It provided early humans with advantages such as protection from predators, enhanced nutrient extraction from cooked food, and the capacity to inhabit colder climates. Furthermore, gathering around fires is thought to have promoted social and behavioral evolution, fostering extended socialization periods after dusk. This communal aspect may have played a significant role in the development of language, storytelling, and early belief systems, contributing to the maintenance of social relationships within complex groups.
Identity and Broader Context
While the specific identity of the people who used this site remains unconfirmed, archaeological evidence from a nearby location, dating to the same period, includes fragments of a Neanderthal skull. This leads researchers to hypothesize that early Neanderthals were responsible for making fires at the newly identified site.
Experts caution against over-generalizing the spread of fire-making technology. It is considered probable that various groups of early humans independently discovered fire-making at different times, with the knowledge potentially spreading or being lost. The historical progression of fire use is viewed as a complex process involving multiple instances of discovery and rediscovery over millennia.